An Excuse For Detention
by kidscanfly
Summary: A series of events that unfold around Sasuke and Hinata that all started because of detention and partly Neji. SASUHINA, with input from Itachi, Hinata's friends and family, teachers and other detention goers. No help from Sakura.
1. Surprise, surprise

**A small series of a boy (Sasuke) who is forced to face his personal problems, and a girl (Hinata) who must live with the fact she's not what she wants to be. And then in detention, they meet.**

**WARNING: There will be cussing, but no sex.**

**Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own the series Naruto.**

**Chapter 1**

Hinata could feel the temperature drop as she woke from her slumber

Hinata could feel the temperature drop as she woke from her slumber. She blinked, hoping to see the lavender curtains of her bedroom, and the floral pattern of her wallpaper, but when she looked up, she found herself staring into the face of Iruka.

"Hinata, this is getting to be a habit," he said sternly, and Hinata almost flinched at his tone, which was laced with disappointment. It wasn't her fault that she was unable to stay awake in class. It wasn't even Iruka's.

It was everything and everybody else.

Her normal schedule consisted of her being taken to meetings with her father, which ended around six at night. Then at home, she would help make dinner (she offered of course), and she would eat with her father and sister. Sometimes Neji would join them (only when he didn't want to cook for himself at his apartment), but that was very rare. Dinner ended at eight.

She took a shower, and her cell phone would ring at exactly eight thirty, which is exactly the time she exits the bathroom. It's always Naruto first, who asks for the answers to the next day's homework. Out of the goodness of her heart, she complies. She starts her homework after the call, and around nine, Shikamaru calls to ask her opinions on various questions about the homework, yet he always sticks to his answers. Then it's Kiba, who will complain about his family before finally saying goodnight. His phone call ends at ten fifteen, in which Hinata is probably done with her homework.

Then she visits Hanabi in her room, who welcomes her with a tinge of sarcasm, which has been accumulating ever since she made friends with Konohamaru. At the age of 8, Hanabi was beginning to bloom into the stage of rebellion, and Hiashi Hyuuga was dreading the day his more outspoken daughter would refuse to go to his meetings with him (for both were told they had to attend).

When Hanabi finally goes to bed at ten thirty, Hinata barely has time to kiss her father goodnight when her phone rings again, and it's Ino, who will gossip for twenty minutes more, till finally at eleven, Hinata crawls into bed, and lies there awake till eleven thirty, when she actually starts to doze off.

Of course, she couldn't explain this to Iruka, so she had to deal with it the way everyone else did, for she would take no special attention from any teacher.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Iruka, I went to bed late," she replied in a meek voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ino blush and shrug sheepishly at her, for she had been the last caller the previous night.

"Hinata, you are one of my best pupils. This has happened three times this week. I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a detention."

"But Mr. Iruka…!" She wanted to say, "My father will be very angry at you for giving me detention, and then will be mad at me for getting detention!" but she held it back. Instead she hung her head in what she hoped appeared to be shame.

"It's only for one day, but hopefully it'll show you to get your rest." He left her desk, and to her right, Shikamaru whispered, "Bummer," in her general direction.

**OOOO**

"I'm sorry, Hinata, but I had to tell you about my conversation with Sasuke! I'm sure we're soul mates!"

Since lunch started, Ino had been apologizing over and over, but Hinata didn't have the heart to reject any of them.

"Like Sasuke would ever like you, Ino," said Sakura at her end of the table, "He goes for girls who can hold a decent conversation with him; someone with intellect."

"Too bad, neither of you have that." interrupted Tenten, whom sat opposite of Hinata. Taking a bite of her sandwich, the young heiress ignored the bickering of her loudest friends.

"So Hinata," Ino said when the fight had ended, "Too bad about detention. Do you know what teacher you'll have?"

"Mr. Iruka said I would be under the surveillance of Mr. Kakashi instead of my homeroom teacher this time. Ms. Kurenai is expecting soon."

"I have him for homeroom," said Tenten before opening a bag of chips, "Want me to stop by so you won't be bored?"

"No, I think he won't mind if I read." said Hinata confidently.

"Hinata!"

The girls looked up to see Naruto coming up to them with Kiba and Chouji, who were both eating junk food for lunch.

"Go away Naruto." said Ino with a huff. Hinata ignored her comment and scooted over so the boys could join them. "Where's Shikamaru?" asked the heiress when she noticed one of the quartet was absent.

"Who knows," said Kiba, "Probably taking a nap in the clinic." He sat next to Tenten, leaving Chouji to sit next to Ino.

"You should have seen it!" Naruto said loudly as he began to eat his instant ramen, "Sasuke got in a fight with Rock Lee again, and it was so epic! Man, he got a bloody nose and everything!"

"Sasuke got hurt?" asked Sakura and Ino simultaneously.

"Yep," said Chouji, "Gai and Mr. Genma had to break it up before the principal got there. I heard the weight room is in shambles now."

"Sasuke's nose is only the start," Kiba said as he unwrapped an ice cream sandwich, "He's got a huge-ass bruise on his left shoulder, where Lee really got him! Lee didn't even come away with a black eye! He had some bruised knuckles though."

"I heard from Neji that the teachers broke up the fight after they fell in the pool," Naruto said, "I heard both might get suspended." He was overly excited.

"Where's Sasuke now?" asked Ino. "And Lee," added Sakura.

"Both went straight to Tsunade," Naruto said with a snort, "Boy, did Sasuke look pissed!"

Hinata barely had to say anything for the conversation to end. She knew that Neji, Lee, and Sasuke were all in advanced Athletics classes, so she'd just ask Neji for the details later.

The bell rang, and the group dispersed.

**OOOO**

Hinata stood in front of Kakashi's classroom for what felt like twenty minutes before she even began to reach for the doorknob. She'd heard rumors of Kakashi being a perverted pedophile, but she had serious doubts. Yet she couldn't bring herself to enter a detention classroom. It felt like she was going to walk strait into hell itself.

But summoning her determination (what little she could find), Hinata grabbed the door handle, hesitated for a brief second, and opened the door.

It was a normal classroom, from what she could see. The windows were all closed and the lights were dimmed a smidge, but it was far from what she had imagined. The teacher sat on (not "at", but "on") his desk, reading a book of questionable content. There were only a handful of students in detention, but Hinata guessed these were the usual group.

Walking in timidly, she went up to the teacher and handed him her detention note. He took it, looked for a brief second before looking back at her again.

"A Hyuuga in detention. I guess there's a first for everything." he said, balling up the note and throwing it in the trash, "Take a seat where you want. Don't talk, not like you'd want to. Safest bet is near the front, but whatever."

"Kakashi, that's so prejudice!" cried a voice from the back. It was a skinny boy, who looked to be a junior. His silver hair was covering half of his face, which was already covered in blue tinted makeup. What she guessed was his twin sat next to him, but he didn't say anything.

"Detention doesn't involve talking, Sakon," the teacher merely said as he began to read again. Hinata was able to see five kids at various desks. The twins were near the back, a girl with red hair sat near the windows, a boy in her English class with absurd makeup sat in the far left corner, and right near the door was someone she didn't expect.

"Sasuke Uchiha…?" She didn't realize he had said his name aloud. The girl near the window snorted violently with a chuckle hidden within the sound, and Kakashi seemed to grin beneath his flu mask.

Sasuke looked at her with a look of suspicion, expecting her to sit next to him. Knowing this, Hinata took advantage of the seat at the very middle of the classroom, and took out a book to read. Her seat was several feet away from his, with three desks between them.

Detention generally was as long as thirty minutes, which to Hinata was a short amount of time, but it seemed to take forever with nothing to do but read and do homework. With no disturbances from her cell phone, she was able to nearly finish her homework, but her mind often wandered to the people around her.

Sasuke's hair was still wet from his fall in the pool, which made Hinata wonder why Lee wasn't in detention as well. She could see a towel by his messenger bag, which had various buttons on its strap and sharpie marks on the back.

The girl by the window wore a hat (which was generally frowned upon by the school), and her hair was a wreck. It looked as if it hadn't been brushed since maybe elementary school. She wore black, almost as much as Sasuke did, but hers was more rebellious looking with the spiked bracelets.

The twins she couldn't see, but she definitely could hear them whispering to each other. They giggled and whispered some more, but she couldn't hear exactly what they were saying.

The boy from English was silent, but she could feel his presence, and that's what distracted her the most.

After what seemed like forever, Kakashi closed his book, hopped off the desk, and said, "Get out of here." He didn't need to repeat himself the boys in the back dashed out of the classroom, the girl swiftly following, with Sasuke soon to follow. Hinata took her time, carefully putting her books and papers in her book bag. Before she exited, she heard Kakashi mutter, "You don't belong here Hyuuga," which she took as a warning to not get in trouble again.

She rounded the corner of the hallway only to be stopped by a hand over her mouth and being dragged into the soda machine room. She was shoved none too lightly against a snack machine, and looked into the face of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Tell your brother to mind his own fucking business," the boy hissed at her. She wanted to correct him so badly, but thought against it, knowing he'd react violently. So she nodded instead.

"Tell him to stop talking shit about me, especially to loudmouths like that faggot Rock Lee! Got it?" She nodded once more, and he let her go, kicking her dropped book bag as he left. With a sigh, Hinata continued on with her venture toward the parking lot, where, as luck would have it, Neji would be picking her up. She'd tell him all right. She'd tell him everything.


	2. Ancient egypt is boring

**Chapter 2**

"Would I be assumed nosy if I were to ask what you why you were in detention

"Would I be assumed nosy if I were to ask what you why you were in detention?" asked Neji Hyuuga as he drove his cousin home. She'd told him during lunch she'd need a ride at four o' clock, but he'd presumed she'd be busy with a school activity.

But no, she had been in detention, where no Hyuuga had ever gone before.

"It's a silly matter," confessed Hinata quietly, fidgeting her hands, "I've been falling asleep in class lately, and Mr. Iruka doesn't want it to ruin my school performance." There was quiet for a minute (she lives seven minutes away from school), before the young girl spoke up again.

"Do you spread rumors, Neji?"

There was a deafening screech as Neji slammed his foot on the breaks, stopping himself from driving over an elderly man crossing the road. He looked at his cousin, whose eyes were larger than saucers from the inertia of the breaks.

"Who told you that?" he said, not noticing he sounded demanding. She looked at him with her doe eyes, and stuttered out, "Sasuke Uchiha…"

Neji sighed, rolling up his window, as they continued to drive. "Oh, it's that bastard," he muttered under his breath, "I guess you had Kakashi's detention." Hinata nodded meekly. "Sasuke said you'd been talking bad about him to Lee, who confronted him about it." She shifted her position towards the window. "What happened, Neji?"

They pulled into the driveway of her house, where she barely noticed her father's car was missing.

"Hinata," Neji began, "you have to understand the type of person Sasuke Uchiha is." He pulled a cigarette from his back pocket, not offering her one cause he knew she'd refuse, and lit it to calm himself. He knew she was waiting for her to continue. "Do you know what a syringe is, Hinata?"

"It's used for shots maybe?"

"That's right." He exhaled a stream of smoke out his rolled down window, before continuing. Taking another drag, Neji pondered on how he would proceed. You could trust Hinata to keep a secret, but how she'd take it personally is a different matter.

"Why did Sasuke have a syringe, Neji?"

"Who knows," muttered Neji under his breath, "What happened was he asked me get something for him from his bag. I saw it shoved underneath his jumpsuit; I didn't even know what it was filled with. I mentioned it to Lee, who misunderstood me and accused Uchiha for being an emotional wreck who needed drugs to be calm again, which apparently ticked him off." The young man chuckled darkly. "Lee's a dumb ass."

"So why did he have it then?"

"He didn't say," Neji said, "But I wouldn't mention it to him." He eyed her, but she seemed focused on the side view mirror. "You weren't planning on confronting him about it would you?" She didn't reply. "Hinata." he said forcefully. She snapped her head in his direction. "N-No, I wasn't planning to."

"Good."

She got out of the car with a small smile, but somehow, as he pulled out of the driveway, making sure she walked through her door, he felt it had been forced. Something had been on her mind.

OOOO

First period was always taxing to Hinata, but she never really let it show. She didn't know why, but English was never one of her strong points. It never really clicked in her brain is all. At least, that's what she told herself.

Sliding into her seat, she happened to notice the guy from detention that had been in the corner. Shifting her position so she could see which seat he took, she watched him take the seat in the front, near a window. His posture was stooped, and from where she sat, she could see him already writing in his planner; the assignments were on the board. She did the same, and as the class filled with people, Professor Asuma followed suit, the rank smell of cigarettes drenching him.

She didn't really know anyone in this class, so as the teacher droned on, she found herself more and more bored. She decided to focus on the boy, but found it hard to see anything but his back, thus not providing the boredom buster she needed.

But the ear-piercing whine of the fire alarm had been exactly what she needed.

"Alright, fire drill, let's go," yelled Asuma as the class filed out into the hallway, creating a flood of teenagers and teachers. The Hyuuga girl looked for a familiar face, but was unable to locate any as they proceeded out of the building.

The air was hot outside, and the lack of air-conditioning was starting to take a toll on everyone. As they waited to go back inside, Hinata found herself in close proximity with the boy, and heard someone call him Kankouro. She mentally kicked herself for not remembering his name.

His face was darkened, with his shaggy brown hair hanging lightly over his forehead. He still wore absurd makeup, and she noticed some facial piercing here and there. He would be a likely example of people her father would forbid her to befriend, and as of today, she still didn't have the nerve to say hi. Surely he would recognize her from detention, if he had been paying any attention at all. But she couldn't rely on his memory of one unofficial encounter, so she dropped the subject, and as they went back inside, she saw her window of opportunity slip away.

OOOO

Second period only brought more woes, when she saw Sasuke sitting in his usual corner. This was World History, something she found boring but easy, but she felt uneasy as she saw Sasuke glance at menacingly. Her blood felt like it had frozen.

"Well, class," said Mr. Hayate with a cough, "Today we will begin our first project of the year. I'll be assigning groups of three, and don't ask me to switch, because I won't let you." There was a mixed combination of groans and squeals.

"First group will be Yamanaka and Uzumaki and Inuzuka," Three simultaneous groans came from the back.

"Second will be Akimichi and Aburame and Haruno,"

He continued on through the list.

"Hyuuga, Uchiha, and Nara,"

She could have died right there. Having Shikamaru with her was a gift from heaven, but it seemed Sasuke would intimidate her through and through. She glanced back at him, almost afraid of what she'd see, but was met with an even worse fate.

The remaining females of the class gave her glares that might compare the Uchiha's, but his still was the coldest. It was like a sea of angry, pretty faces. With a gulp she turned back, and almost jumped when she realized Shikamaru was already next to her. "Don't worry about them," he said as he positioned himself to lean back in his seat, "They don't understand how ruthless he can be." Hinata noted how the word 'ruthless' was so true.

Sasuke suddenly stood, and slowly made his way over to his assigned group. Hinata could feel him approach her from behind, and waited as he sat down on her other side and didn't say another word. She didn't even want to glance at him. Apparently Shikamaru didn't care though.

"Uchiha, when do you suppose we can all meet to finish his thing?"

There was a pause, where Sasuke eyed Hinata, then Shikamaru. "I'm free for lunch,"

And Hinata felt the air rush out of her. Lunch came between second and third period.

OOOO

In the library, the trio sat in the very back, where the windows were. Setting aside her book bag, Hinata took a seat at the table, and the boys followed suit. Shikamaru immediately began to get to work with Sasuke, who merely nodded and shook his head at the appropriate times. Hinata didn't have to say a word, for Shikamaru had instructed her to just do the same, since he could probably do it all when he got home and call them to confirm everything.

"So I can research on past Egypt before next class, where we can slam it all together on a written report which I will present on the due date."

"I-I'll type it up then," Hinata offered.

"Good," said the genius, tapping his pencil on the table like a drummer. Coincidentally, he was in band with Chouji. "Uchiha, you can research excavations." Sasuke nodded, before tilting his head toward the heiress. "Isn't she going to research anything?"

"She doesn't have to," said Shika, scooting out of his chair, "She's going to be typing up everything we find, so she'll have the worst job anyway."

"I'll h-help get books for you guys," she offered, not wanting to seem unhelpful.

"Whatever you say," said the genius, "Let's hurry before lunch ends."

The group dispersed amongst the shelves of books, and Hinata found herself merely wandering around, trying to avoid the Uchiha. She felt weird being nervous around him. She SHOULDN'T be nervous around him. But after his rough incident after detention, she felt it unwise to find her alone with him again, less he takes out his anger at her cousin on her.

"What are you doing just standing there," came the perpetrator's harsh voice. She spun around in surprise and realized he was right behind her. He was glaring but he was concentrating on skimming the bookshelf. He looked more frustrated than anything.

"U-Um… sorry." She immediately began scanning book titles as well. She was able to pull out three books that seemed worthwhile before she felt compelled to talk to him, to maybe clear up this tension.

"He's my cousin, not my brother." He froze with his palm inches away from the spine of a book. But he overcame it, and continued with what he was doing. "So?"

"You called him my brother yesterday," she said softly, "He's not. He's my cousin."

"Whatever." The tension had been lessoned, but not by much. She wished Shikamaru would butt in soon to say lunch was over. Surely it had been forty-five minutes already!

"It's not his fault-" His hand slamming her entire arm into the hard wood of the bookshelf cut her off. She winced in pain, unsure of how big the bruise would be.

"What do you know about it?" he hissed at her, his eyes seemingly glowing, "He didn't see anything! Got it?"

She looked at him, a tremor of fear making her tremble slightly at the knees. It was at this moment that she noticed how unhealthy he looked. His face was paler than normal, though from afar it could've looked like foundation. His eyes had dark circles around them, but from a distance it could have easily been mistaken for mascara. His lips, sad to say, were dry and chapped, with a thin layer of Chap Stick that from any distance could be considered lip-gloss. There were so many flaws about his feminine features that he'd covered up, she wondered if anyone at school had ever seen the real him.

"What hurts?" The words slipped out so easily, she didn't even know she said them until it was too late to take them back. His look of surprise was turned to rage. He shoved her, making her topple over onto the ground, yet not really damaged.

"You don't know me," he snarled. In surprisingly good timing, the bell for lunch rung, signaling the stampede for third period. He stepped over her toward the table, got his bag and left.

Brushing herself off, Hinata headed back to the table, a small tear threatening to come out of her eye. She extinguished it with a swipe of her hand, and saw Shikamaru looking at her with an I-told-you-so look. She shrugged and began to pick up her bags, before she noticed that Sasuke's stacks of books had been forgotten. She pointed this out to Shikamaru.

"Dammit," he said with an exasperated look, "I don't have any classes with him. Just leave them then." He headed towards the door. "Come on,"

In a swift decision, Hinata took up the books and shoved them into her book bag, before running to catch up with her friend.

OOOO

The bell that signified the end of school was terribly loud. Doors burst open as hoards of students rushed out to go home. But Hinata lingered, for the books were a constant, heavy reminder that she had to find Sasuke Uchiha. She didn't want to, but she didn't want him kicking himself when he realized he didn't have them.

Setting a pace for herself, Hinata rushed to meet Sasuke before he got on the bus (she knew he rode the bus because Kiba did as well), but to her dismay, the line had no traces of the arrogant jerk. The books were becoming increasingly heavy, and she wondered if he still had detention.

She zipped off toward Kakashi's room, hoping he was actually there. When she skidded to a halt at the door, she peered in, and was relieved to see he was there. Building up little composure she could muster, she twisted the knob till she heard the familiar click, and pushed the door open. Kakashi gave her a look as she walked in, but she ignored him, and walked directly to Sasuke's desk.

The twins giggled, maybe thinking she was going to profess her love for him, and the boy from English eyed her curiously. The girl paid no heed.

Opening her book bag, she took out all the textbooks she had saved for him (and checked out under her name), setting them lightly on his desk. He gave her a surprised, yet disgusted look, and all she could do was wonder what made him the sad person he was. He was a surprisingly deep character indeed.

She smiled, ignoring his glare, before saying, "You left without checking them out. They're checked out under my name, but now you'll have resources to research. Good luck." The students and teacher watched silently as she left, her head down.


	3. Lack of sleep, maybe

**Chapter 3**

Sasuke couldn't decide whether he was going to thank her or kill her. He stared at the textbooks she left him, trying to ignore the soft giggles that Sakon and Ukon were making. He refused to look at Kakashi, who had this disgusting grin underneath his mask. And to make things worse, he owed her. She probably told her cousin everything. He gripped the bridge of his nose with his fingers, trying to ease himself out of the tension that was building up.

"Hey, SAAAASUKE, why don't you chase after her!" called out Ukon through a fit of laughter. His brother added, "We can stand outside the janitor's door while you make up!"

"Settle down, both of you," said Kakashi, failing to sound like an authority figure. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and waited for the detention to end.

**OOOO**

As the youngest Uchiha entered his house, he disregarded his brother, who was frying something on the kitchen stove. Itachi Uchiha watched his brother trudge down the hallway to his room, and listened to him slam the door with a resounding BANG. Sasuke threw the books down on his bed along with his bag, before heading for the shower.

Itachi heard him close the bathroom door, as well as turn on the water. Then a loud, echoing scream of fury broke through the walls, and Itachi had to smirk.

**OOOO**

Sasuke just didn't like his brother. It was mostly because Itachi was an ass, but also because he was meddlesome and an arrogant bastard who hung out with more people who acted exactly like he did.

When he got out of the shower and went into his room to change, all the pent up anger from the day seemed to seep out in waves when he saw his brother waiting for him in his room.

"Rough day?" Itachi asked, not even bothering to look at him (giving him privacy to change perhaps). Sasuke pulled on some blue boxers, before answering with a small snort.

"I see," Itachi said with a small smile, flipping through the textbooks on his bed, "A project on Egypt? Good times! You must have Hayate this year. He's the only one that does a project with Egypt. Who were you partnered with?"

The younger brother strode over to the bed, searched through his bag, and pulled out the assignment paper, which included the names of his partners. He didn't even feel like answering his brother anymore. He didn't want to think of Nara or Hyuugas. Especially Hyuugas.

"Woah, you should have a easy break with the Nara guy. He's in half my classes! He's a genius. And having a Hyuuga is a bonus. They're pretty up there when it comes to the business world."

"Neji is a prissy rat, and Hinata is a ditzy, vacuous, cheese head."

Itachi almost laughed if he wasn't trying to bug his brother.

"Neji just needs someone to slap across the face. Don't worry about him too much." Itachi rubbed his thumb over the name of Hinata Hyuuga.

"She's an heiress. If I were after money, I'd go after her first."

"She's not beautiful."

"But that doesn't necessarily matter, does it?"

Sasuke didn't reply, before grabbing a comb to untangle his black locks. Itachi eyed him, before flipping through the textbooks some more. He noticed who they were checked out to, and smirked again, this time with a plan formulating behind it.

"So what happened?"

"What?"

"Between Neji, you, and Hinata?"

"Neji was a douche, and I guess I took it out on her,"

"Because they're cousins,"

"Whatever,"

There was a pause.

"And today?" Itachi pressed him further.

"I forgot my books, she brought them to my detention. End of story."

Itachi finally turned to face his brother, who was staring at his reflection in the mirror. Leaning his head to the side, the older Uchiha tapped his finger to his chin in thought.

"She showed you courtesy, but you didn't really show any back. Am I right?"

Sasuke didn't answer. It was uncertain if he had even heard the question or not.

"Maybe you should go see a councilor." Itachi said. This evoked a fast response, snapping Sasuke out of his reverie.

"EXCUSE ME?"

"Well, rumor has it that your carrying mom's only nursing trophy in you gym bag."

"It's nothing to spread a rumor about, asshole!"

"Yes, well, they could call you a momma's boy, or they might say you're doing drugs. I mean, it does look like a syringe. Anyone, even Neji, might be tricked."

"He didn't have to go tell that faggot though! I mean, SHIT, Lee's the loudest person in the whole fucking school! HIM of all people! But NO! Neji Hyuuga didn't have any courtesy for my privacy! So does he doesn't get any either! He can go screw a crow or whatever; I don't care! Dammit, what I wanted wasn't even in the big pocket! If he had LISTENED I wouldn't have gotten so angry in the first place, and I wouldn't have yelled at his stupid cousin, who is SO annoying with her constant stuttering! And if I bitch at her, she'll probably cry, which will only make me MORE annoyed! And it'll all be that bastard Hyuuga's fault!"

Sasuke whirled around to face his brother, who had plastered a crooked smile on his face.

"Are you done venting out your frustrations?"

A snarl encompassed Sasuke's face as he grabbed at his hair and let out an exasperated yell. He stormed out toward the kitchen. Itachi watched him go, and after a minute or so of letting him wait for his food, Itachi slowly walked toward the door, and flicked off the lights.

**OOOO**

Lunch the next day wasn't as bad as Hinata thought it would be. Sasuke had, in fact, done all of his work, as had Shikamaru. Now all that was needed was the format of how to smash everything together. Problem was, boy genius had a chess tournament he had trained all summer for (though he used the word "training" as though it were a joke), leaving the sourpuss and the shy gal to finish it up themselves (Shikamaru had actually emailed her his portion the other night).

"So, S-Sasuke-san, let's say the we put Egypt's past first after the introduction?"

"Duh," he said with a groan, "Past comes before present! I'm not stupid."

"O-Oh…" Hinata shuffled her papers, unsure of how to proceed. He certainly was grouchy today, but she didn't want to ask him why; she knew that was the equivalent of suicide.

Hinata felt even more uncomfortable around him with Shikamaru's absence, thus making her more nervous and unable to focus. From the corner of her eye, she could see he waiting for her to continue, tapping his pencil to a steady beat of unheard music.

"A-And after that, w-we could, m-maybe, add in the current s-state of the country, and the conclusion will be a summary of important dates. What do you think?"

"What do I think?" he repeated, a note of sarcasm in his voice, "I think your stutter is annoying. Why don't you go get speech therapy?"

She felt her confidence slip slightly, before answering, "W-We've tried that…"

The way she said it made him feel even more like an asshole than he already did, and he wanted to kick himself for holding such a stupid grudge. The rumor wasn't even around anymore! But he refused to say sorry; at least, not yet.

"Whatever," he mumbled as he looked down at his research papers. It was so awkward he could hardly breath. The silence was suffocating. He took a glance at her, but was unable to see her face through her curtain of long indigo hair. He wondered how long it took for her hair to grow that long, and ended up thinking how soft it looked from his point of view. But he shoved that thought aside.

"So all you have to do is write it up, right?"

"Y-Yes,"

Sasuke stood up and began to prepare his bag.

"W-What are you d-doing?"

"Getting ready to leave. We're done here right?"

Hinata didn't have the heart or courage to keep him there.

"S-Sure. You can go…"

Sasuke stared at her for a moment, considering staying just because he didn't really feel like going to lunch, but he really didn't want to be here with her either.

"See you, then,"

She watched him leave as she lied down her head on the hard wood table, and wondered if they would ever get along.

**OOOO**

The first thing Sasuke noticed when he walked into third period was that Hyuuga Hinata was not present. Her seat was empty, but no one else seemed to notice.

Mr. Raido took roll, and when he came to her name Sasuke didn't say a word. There were some confused looks from her friends, but it wasn't taken too seriously.

It was only until he noticed her absence in fourth period that he wondered what the hell happened to her. He waited until class was half over before he asked Ms. Anko if he could go to the nurse.

With a skid and a quicker step than his usual stride, he left for the library. He passed the empty and strangely dark soda machine room, not noticing the face looking out the door. He also passed the gyms, where girls were filing out toward the locker rooms, not noticing a certain head cheerleader watch him hurry past her.

And as he approached the library doors, he wondered if this was a complete waste of time, and if he should just forget about her, ditching the rest of the school day. He remembered both times he had technically assaulted her, and how she reacted. She was so calm. He didn't understand why she didn't cower. Why didn't she yell at him? Why didn't she retaliate?

Why was she so miserably pathetic?

He slowly opened the library doors and peaked in, before making his way toward the usual table. He rounded a bookcase, before stopping to see a strange sight.

She was sleeping right where he'd left her, in the same chair; papers askew and a book bag still not ready to go. Walking up to her, he watched her as she slept. He was grateful she didn't snore. She didn't make those whistles noises either. Her breathing was clam, and she was silent. Feeling rather annoyed he had skipped class for THIS, he shook her shoulder roughly, jolting her awake. Her back straightened like a column, and her hair swung back from the force of her head popping up from dreamland. There was an imprint of her sleeve on her cheek.

"U-Uchiha-san?" She rubbed her eyes, and Sasuke was reminded of Dumbo the elephant. Hinata looked at him quizzically, and then looked at her watch. "Oh no! I missed third period-" She stood up, but he shoved her back into her chair. She almost toppled backward.

"How do you sit there and take the crap I give you?" he asked. She was surprised at the question, but there wasn't an ounce of joking or teasing in his voice or face. It was a serious question.

It might've taken a while, but it was here that she noticed he was a good-looking young man.

She looked at his face, and then looked at the floor with a grim smile.

"I'm just used to it, I guess."


	4. You talk too much

**Hey, so was really wierd with the bar line, and so I had to re-edit everything. Plus, there were somet hings that I felt needed to be corrected, though there's probably some spelling errors still...**

**Anywho, this chapter in particular really bugged me. For some reason, I felt I was making Sasuke a little more emo and less angry. I want him to be angry throughout the story until, you know, the end. But I don't know if I accidentally shifted him into angst-land. So if he's starting to become emo and mopey and crap, I'm sorry.**

**On a sperate note, this is the longest chapter I've written. It took all of last night (but my internet was down). I don't know why I didn't just divide into two chapters, but whatever...**

**WARNING: Major ranting in this chapter. Multiple times. I'm SO SO sorry.**

**Chapter 4**

"Hey Itachi, I thought you said your brother doesn't ditch," asked Deidara as he stood by the window while the others smoked t

"Hey Itachi, I thought you said your brother doesn't ditch," asked Deidara as he stood by the window while the others smoked their cigarettes. Itachi eyed him with boredom. "He doesn't. At least not anymore from what I've seen."

"Well you weren't the one keeping watch today, so of course you didn't see him just run past here with his book bag…" To the blonde's surprise, Itachi sorta shoved him out of the way as he bolted out the door of the soda machine room. Sasori and Kisame, who had been sitting further back in the room, glanced at Deidara before glancing at each other.

Itachi couldn't believe his luck. He had wanted to know what his brother was up to, and how he dealt with things; this was an opportune treat. Skidding to a halt outside the library doors, Itachi almost broke out in a grin at what he saw.

The Hyuuga girl was sitting at a table in the far back, and Sasuke seemed to be sitting in front of her. She was talking slowly, with her head bent down. Sasuke was unmoving.

Then, Sasuke stood. Itachi got ready to duck behind the nearest solid object.

**OOOO**

"…A-A-And I guess I'm just h-hoping that, when H-H-Hanabi is pronounced heiress, s-she won't have the same t-troubles as I d-do."

Sasuke stared at her with a rather strained "bored" expression. It was incredible how alike and unlike they were. Both were looked down upon by their fathers, both had a sibling that was favored more than them, and both of them had strived to meet their father's approval. Both had no mothers. Both were children of renowned families.

But they were so very different.

He couldn't stand the fact she had merely given up something that was rightfully hers. If he had been born first, he would have never stopped climbing for the top. If he had been sent to a special private school where he was constantly harassed, he damn well would have beaten in their faces, unlike her, who said she would hide in the library, similar to what she was doing now. She was such a coward. She was not meant for the type of business ethics that her family strived for.

"Wow, Hyuuga, you could write a novel with all the shit that you have to deal with. Not to mention you're stuck being Narutard's friend." He didn't mean to add sarcasm, but it naturally came to him; it was a second language.

"N-Naruto is a good person,"

"But not an intelligent person,"

"B-But intelligence shouldn't m-m-matter…"

There was a silence. Even though she had just spilled her misery to him, he still had the audacity to insult her friend and mock her life. But she really couldn't do anything about it. She didn't have the right to point out how useless it was to try and act badass.

"Whatever, I'm not gonna tell you who to hang out with. That's your mistake, not mine."

She bit her lip; wanting to say something back, maybe even defend her friends, but she didn't say anything. Like Tenten said, his opinion didn't matter if it belittled someone or something precious to you. It was a good motto to follow, and Hinata was glad Tenten hung out with her, even though she was an upperclassman.

Truthfully, she was friends with Naruto because in freshman year she had the biggest crush on him. With Naruto came Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji. With Shikamaru and Chouji came Ino. Tenten hung out with Neji, so she was at the house sometimes. It was a rather extended family of friends, with people who she knew she could count on to cheer her up, though some did better than others. She was an outsider, as were most of them, and it was that bond that kept them close.

But she didn't expect Sasuke to understand that.

"If not them, S-Sasuke-san, then who?"

He had been ready to walk away. He was so close to making a step toward the door. But her words made him stop.

"Excuse me?"

"I-If not them, w-who else would w-w-want to be my f-f-friend…? Y-You wouldn't u-understand, what with y-your good l-l-looks and ph-physique…"

The young man clenched his fist, a sharp glare crossing his handsome features. He grabbed her shirt collar, pulling her from her seat. Her eyes widened as she realized she was being forced upward. His face was close to hers, and she could feel every single rasp for breath. She noticed his breathing was starting to become ragged. What was wrong with him?

"You don't know anything about me! Don't be so presumptuous! As if I LIKE that sort of attention! SHIT, I'd trade my life for yours any day, miss heiress! You're not popular! SO WHAT!" He pushed her away, making her tumble back onto her seat.

"You think you have it so bad. You make me sick…" He grabbed his bag with a swipe of his arm, before storming out with a slam of the door.

Hinata didn't say anything. She just stared at the swinging library doors with half-lidded eyes, her mouth forming a small frown. She half wanted to call out for him to stop, so she could retort something, anything! But what could she say? He probably was too far-gone to even hear her. With a heavy sigh, Hinata slowly stood and began to pack her bag. "Might as well go back to class," she muttered, wiping a stray tear from her eye. She wasn't upset with Sasuke personally, but his words had stung.

Holding open the doors of the library, Hinata managed to step out five feet before being pulled to the side. Feeling her eyes being covered by a slender hand, she was about to scream for help before she was spun around to face her attacker.

When she saw the eyes and hair, the word "Uchiha" slipped out like a hard candy on her tongue.

Itachi almost smiled at the recognition, though he wasn't sure whether she was recognizing him as an individual or just a member of the alleged family.

"Hyuuga," he said back, letting go her shoulders so she wouldn't feel so paranoid. He was a bit taller than her, but was short for his age, as she was. Definitely a senior though.

"W-What do you want?" she asked timidly. She really didn't know how to deal with upperclassmen she didn't know personally. Itachi smiled at her, which was quite unnerving for the heiress. She put on a nervous smile.

"I'm Itachi. Sasuke's older brother." He held out his hand, which she took as a sign of peace. He hands were so big compared to hers.

With sudden fervor, the bell that signaled the end of the day rang in their ears, and when Itachi was closing his eyes with his finger in his ear, she took the opportunity to make a break for the crowds of students rushing to their cars. She heard a faint "Hey, wait!" but ignored it, hoping to maybe hop on a bus to her neighborhood with one of her friends.

It turns out that luck was not on her side.

She was able to reach the school lobby, before a hand was able to grab her wrist, and she realized he had caught up. He had this annoyed look, which reminded her of an older Sasuke.

"I need to talk to you,"

She shook her head violently, making it quite obvious she didn't trust strange older boys to talk with her alone.

"It's about Sasuke,"

She blinked up at him, noticing how serious his face was.

"O-Okay…"

**OOOO**

As soon as he had left the library, Sasuke ran into the restroom to catch his breath. He couldn't believe he had let himself get so riled up. She was making him so angry! But what about her was it?

'Damn girls…' he thought with a groan.

He checked the halls for witnesses before making his way toward the nurse's office. He was sure the nurse would let him just lie there. He didn't feel like going to class. Not right now anyway. Besides, the bell would ring in less than an hour…

With a sigh, he realized he'd become an asshole. He didn't understand why he got so upset. She obviously had no right to think she was the only unlucky person in the world, but he had almost choked her. He had then taken the liberty of shredding any confidence she had had, as well as crush all hopes for improvement. And she didn't even yell at him for it. She just sat there and took all of that bullshit he threw at her. Her posture didn't slump, though her head was still down. It was like… she was actually listening.

He knew if he had been on the receiving end of that verbal attack, he would've blocked out all the words and then refused to acknowledge they had ever been said..

But she was still a presumptuous little airhead with no backbone. And thinking about her was making him even angrier…

He knocked once before opening the nurse's door.

"Uchiha-san?" asked Nurse Shizune as she noticed him walk in. He always felt like Shizune knew when to mind her own business, which is why she was so much more popular than the other teachers. She left him on the cot so she could continue with her work. Sasuke didn't mind. He liked being alone.

It was at times like these he would remember his own mother and father, and sometimes he would wish they hadn't-

"Sasuke!"

His head snapped violently in the direction of the door, but he immediately wished he hadn't. The Konoha High cheerleader outfit glared at him as it approached, and the vibrant pink hair seemed to blind him.

"What are you doing in the nurse's office, Sasuke?"

"None of your business, Haruno. Leave me alo-"

"Your sick? Who did it? Was it Yamanaka? I bet it was her, that tramp!"

Sasuke face palmed, before turning away from her. She kept jabbering away, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to calm down.

"Sakura Haruno? Is that you, Sakura?"

Shizune came from her office. Obviously, she must have heard the noise. Sasuke was glad she was so observant, or else he would've been alone with the cheerleader…

"Miss Shizune!" Sakura said with a forced smile (though it apparent she had perfected the art), "Don't you have work to do? I'll take care of Sasuke for you."

Sasuke whipped his head to look at the nurse with big eyes, trying to convey the message that he DID NOT want Sakura alone with him. He had been caught by girls in a secluded place multiple times, and had come out a little worse for wear. He didn't want to risk it with this infamous cheerleader. She was hot, but was as annoying as hell. Almost as much as Hinata Hyuuga.

But he still didn't want to think about THAT girl.

Thankfully, Shizune got the message.

"Actually, I'm free. There's no need for you to stay here today. By the way, why aren't you at Cheer practice?"

"We got let out early today. It's not important." Sakura said hurriedly, "But I really don't mind, Miss Shizune."

"I'm sure I can handle this one student illness on my own, Sakura. You can go now." Sakura stopped pushing at the last phrase. Shizune tone had become cold. She was almost as dangerous as the principal when she had to be.

At that moment, the bell rang. You could hear the doors bursting open, so students could get home faster.

Sakura put on her conniving smile. "Alright, Miss Shizune. Your loss." She turned on her heal, before smiling devilishly at the Uchiha boy. Then she was gone.

Sasuke let out a breath of air. He had dodged a bullet.

"That girl…" said Shizune with a sigh, "She needs to learn she's not always going to win…" Sasuke didn't even need to nod. Everyone knew Sakura was spoiled like month old cheese.

"Sasuke Uchiha,"

The boy in question looked at the nurse, but he back was turned to him. She was looking out the window, watching kids leave for the parking lot. She seemed to be in a daze. Sasuke made the effort to sit up, letting his bangs fall over his eyes.

"Nurse Shizune?"

The woman jumped a little, though barely. Turning to him, Shizune's face was stern. "Sasuke, is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Sasuke wanted to say no, but he didn't want to lie to one of the few people he tolerated.

"Not really… I dunno…" She did not reply, but waited patiently for him to continue.

"She's thinks she sees the world," he whispered, "She thinks she sees my world. She thinks she knows what I need, what I'm going through. She doesn't know anything. She wants to know what's wrong. Nothing is wrong. She thinks we have a shared pain. We don't. She thinks she understand how I feel. She doesn't. She thinks I don't understand how she feels. I do.

"I understand her dad doesn't care for her like he does her sister, I get that. My dad did the same thing! But at least she still has a chance to prove to him she can do it! My dad's dead! She says she's unpopular, she's an outcast, or whatever. She's got more friends than I do.

"What do I have? I have an older brother who'd rather smoke with his friends then make me a proper dinner! I have hoards of fangirls, but none of them like me for more than what they see! I have brains, but no one will hold an intellectual conversation with me cause they're afraid to approach me! They're afraid to approach me because I can actually fight cause I'm physically fit! I like to work backstage for theatre, but everyone wants me out front saying some stupid lines in a stupid costume! I don't have proper friends! I don't have proper family! It's the facts, not some depressing fictional comic book! That bitch doesn't understand how lucky she fucking is!

"She's so calm! Mature! Gentle! Doesn't want to cause distractions or arguments! She's quiet! So damn quiet. You'd never know she was there if you didn't look. She's brave! Yet she can't even see it! And me, with my cruel words and the bullshit I played out! I shoved her against a fucking bookcase! I made her feel like crap! I dissed her friends, I mocked her poor, miserable, fucking life, but she just sat there and took it, as if she thought she DESERVED it!

"Yet she had the composure to ask what was wrong with me! As if she could fix it! I never asked for help! I never even indicated I needed help at all. How did she even notice anything? WHY DOES SHE EVEN CARE?"

Shizune looked at the boy with a sad smile. He had exploded. He had needed that venting. He needed to hear himself. He couldn't have it all bottled up; it was mental suicide… What started as a quiet confession had led into a shouted rant. His breathing was quite heavy now. He was trembling: fists shaking as if he had been locked in a freezer. He slowly placed his head in his hands as he tried to catch his breath.

"Perhaps," Shizune began, choosing her words carefully, "Perhaps she notices your pain Sasuke, because she's the type of person who wishes to help others that need it." Sasuke froze. He was listening now. "Perhaps, Sasuke, she is worried because in her heart, she can see the real you, and not the façade you say you present. Perhaps she knows you need a friend, and that you don't really mean the things you say or do. Perhaps, Sasuke Uchiha, she is one of the few people that care more for others than themselves."

Sasuke looked at the nurse. It was quiet as Shizune let her words sink in.

"Sasuke," she said, "Hinata Hyuuga is a girl wrought with a constant trial that will determine her future happiness. Many faculty members have grown fond of her, either in sympathy or empathy. She is strong but has no idea, just like you said. She doesn't see it in herself because she never looks within, for she feels her problems might not compare to those around her. She is a selfless girl with a heart of gold…"

Sasuke looked at the floor with a grimace. He was starting to think he had sounded selfish.

"Do you know why you are so bothered by her unique personality, Sasuke?"

He didn't even need to answer that. Of course not.

"Then I suppose it's best you apologize."

Like that will ever happen. He would not apologize. She would have to first.

He stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks for letting me stay here, Nurse Shizune…" He didn't even give her time to reply before he left.

The walk to detention was desolate. He was still silently fuming over what had just occurred. It had been a long time since he'd had an outburst like that. Maybe when he was a small child, being selfish. What had gotten into him.

Everyone was already there. The twins weren't even laughing as he walked in. Tayuya stared at him, as if asking, "What's your problem?" Kankouro didn't even look up from his paper.

"You're late, Sasuke," Kakashi dully noted, though he was well aware of the tension the Uchiha had created, "By ten minutes. I'm afraid you'll have to stay after longer than the others."

"I was at the nurse," Sasuke muttered, barely above a whisper, though it still sounded threatening, "If you have a problem with my damn excuse, go ask Shizune." He nearly slammed his body into his seat, before just lying his head down on the cool metal desk.

**OOOO**

"Sasuke's been having emotional issues since our parents died," Itachi said with a stern face.

Hinata and him were on a bench in the school lobby, where the majority of people had left vacant so they could talk. Hinata was now quite positive Itachi had no ill intentions (towards her anyway), so she was slowly becoming more open.

"That syringe rumor," Itachi said, "The syringe is actually a small trophy that belonged to our mom. She was a nurse, and that was the trophy she received for getting top grades when she applied for the job as head nurse. It was supposedly her first trophy since elementary school. She was so excited…"

"Then w-why didn't S-Sasuke say anything about it? W-Why didn't he d-defend that f-fact?"

"Because he's so caught up in the idea that he grew up when they died," Itachi said with a sad smile, "But he's still not to that point yet. It's not like I help him though."

Hinata held her hands together, as if needing to say a small prayer. She had heard from her father about the Uchiha family, who had almost as much status as the Hyuuga family had. Her father had said it was a stroke of luck that the company fell out of business. Now that she thought about it that was such a cruel thing to say…

"I think the best thing for Sasuke right now is someone he feels he can rely on. Sadly, I don't think he's found one of those yet…"

He stared intently at Hinata, whom stared back. Itachi's gaze was intense, she concluded.

"I think he should be at detention right now," Itachi said, standing up to stretch, "Although it's already fifteen minutes into the session."

She watched him walk away, before she too stood up. Slowly she made her way toward Kakashi's classroom. Outside the door, Hinata could see the Uchiha boy, his head on his desk. Leaning against the wall, Hinata decided to wait.

**OOOO**

She startled as the door was flung open. She looked to see the twins Sakon and Ukon slinking out. She almost flinched when both simultaneously glanced at her.

"He's in a bad mood today," said one.

"Can't tell if he's depressed or angry or both," said the other.

"We know you can cheer him up," they said in unison. She watched them walk away, even more confused than before. Hinata didn't even want to know what they were implying.

Tayuya came next. She snorted when she saw the Hyuuga girl.

"It'll take more than an apology to fix the crap he's feeling, girl," she muttered darkly.

Kankouro glanced her way, before also leaving.

She waited for Sasuke, but he didn't come out.

She waited a minute or so more, but he still did not come out.

"Mr. K-Kakashi, have you…" She stopped dead when she saw his head shoot up like a rocket when he heard her voice. His eyes were wide, a deep glare fixed on his features. He obviously did not want to see her.

"I think I need to use the bathroom," Kakashi said quietly, before he left them. Hinata gulped as he closed the door. Her hands began to shake slightly.

"What the hell do you want?" Sasuke barked at her.

She jumped, unsure of how she was going to do this.

"I…"

The words were stuck.

"I'm…"

"Out with it, Hyuuga,"

"I'M SORRY!"

His eyes were like saucers. He stood up with a jolt, making her step back warily.

"What did you say?"

"I-I s-s-said I'm s-sorry-"

"Do you even know why you're sorry, Hyuuga? Huh!" He was marched toward her, but she kept the distance.

"I m-m-m-must have upset y-you a-a-and…"

"UPSET ME!"

He lunged at her, keeping her trapped between the white board and him. His arms blocked all escape routes. His face was mere inches from hers.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Hyuuga!" He yelled at her. She flinched with every word. "You don't know anything about me, yet you try and help! You can't even name what it was that ticked me off in the first place! You're so damn pathetic!" He backed up, letting her get some air.

Her heart was pounding like a thousand hammers all at once. She could hear it in her brain, thumping against her skull.

"I-Is it… b-b-because… y-you f-feel I don't know y-you enough to make a-a-assumptions?"

That was exactly right, he wanted to say.

"Whatever,"

There was a tense silence.

"H-How did you parents d-die, S-Sasuke?"

**I know, cliffhanger... But I was TIRED! Please understand.**


	5. It's getting worse by the day

**Chapter 5**

Sasuke boiled. He felt his breathing become raspier, and with a snarl, he grabbed her wrist and flung her from the wall. With a small yelp, she tumbled back into a desk, barely able to keep herself standing. She looked at him with wide eyes; they were filled with fright.

Sasuke knew that nobody except a few teachers even knew his brother and him lived by themselves, let alone had no parents. Tsunade, the principal, was obviously informed, as was Kakashi, a friend of the family. He told Shizune once. That only left himself and his brother. Who the hell told her?

"Who told you my parents are dead?"

"I-I c-c-can…"

"Who told you!?"

She flinched at his volume, ignoring the forming bruise in the back of her leg. If she shifted her position to left, it was less painful, but it was still there.

"I-Itachi…"

Sasuke whirled around, a shout of rage escaping him before he pounded his fists into the whiteboard. He breathed deeply, only to release it in a long sigh. He knew he had to calm himself. He knew it would take a while, but he would calm himself down. If he didn't, he knew it wouldn't end on a decent-looking note…

"That bastard…" he muttered. He hit the board once more, before standing up straight. He glanced back at her, only to immediately look away. She was examining her bruise, which put her in an awkward angle. He could practically see all the way up her school skirt. She hadn't noticed him.

"Can you examine it some other time?" he almost shouted, "You're all exposed…"

"Eep!" He glanced back again, and saw she was blushing, trying to pull her skirt down. He almost smirked at her predicament, but he wasn't really in the mood to be cocky. They stayed in total silence for the longest while, yet none of them spoke.

"Um," Hinata said at last, "I should go put some ice on this…" He didn't stop her as she began to leave. He didn't stop her when she opened the door. He didn't even stop her when she was beginning to head down the stairs. He just stood there, unsure of what he had just done.

A foot came through the door, and then another. Kakashi readjusted his whiteboard. Putting the smut down, the masked teacher looked at the young Uchiha with a disappointed face. "For the school heartthrob, that was some pretty lousy work. A few more days of detention for violence at school."

Sasuke scowled at the teacher, before grabbing his book bag off the ground. Slinging it over his shoulder, he left without a word, making sure the door swung so hard as to make a small dent in the wall.

**OOOO**

Shikamaru sat shotgun, while Temari waited at the wheel of her van. It had been a while since Kankouro had joined them, yet Hinata had still not come out. Kankouro had only mentioned he'd seen her at the door, so they waited for her to finish her business before leaving. Shikamaru was planning to surprise her by giving her a lift, since he had missed the library session thanks to the Chess club, but he was becoming impatient. She was a nice girl; she wasn't troublesome at all. Looking at the clock on the dashboard, Shikamaru turned to Temari. "We don't have to wait any longer. Let's go ok-"

"Look there,"

Shikamaru followed the older girl's finger to see a lone girl leaving the building. Temari drove up to her.

"Shikamaru?"

The Nara boy wasn't stupid: something was wrong. It was the way she walked up to the car. With a quick inspection, his eyes finally landed on her bruise.

"What the hell?!" He flung open the door of the car, much to the Subaku siblings' surprise, and spun her around.

"What happened, Hinata?" He was surprisingly calm. Looking at her face, to maybe see the answer instead of listen for it, he saw them. The tears were there, but were being held back. She hated to cry. He knew that. It made her feel weak…

"I-I… S-S-Sasuke, he…"

"Did he attack you or what, Hinata?"

She looked at the ground. With a sniff, she mouthed something. Grabbing her shoulders lightly, he pulled her in a tad closer to hear her.

"What is it, Hinata?"

A pause.

"I-I-I think I m-m-might've p-provoked it, Sh-Shikamaru…" He wanted to help, but at this point he was useless. Flipping open his cell phone, he began a text message, which would be sent to Neji. Her cousin would probably relay it to Tenten, who'd make sure the others would receive the message. But Neji was the more important person to tell.

"Shikamaru," whispered Temari, "Kankouro needs to pee, and if we don't get home Gaara will be pissed. He can't cook; you know that!"

"Brat's probably waiting for us to bring dinner…" mentioned Kankouro bitterly.

Shikamaru nodded. He did not want to see the wrath of Gaara. Ever. What a mean middle-school student…

"Hinata," he said calmly, "Let's get you home."

She nodded meekly, climbing into the back seat with the detention-goer.

**OOOO**

When Sasuke finally arrived at his driveway, he was surprised to see Itachi's car was missing. With a scowl, he wondered if he would get his dinner tonight.

"The bastard was smart enough to at least not be home…"

Kicking open the front door, the angry boy stormed into a pitch-black house. Flipping a light switch, he trudged to his bedroom, which seemed a bit smaller and darker than he had seen it earlier that morning. Throwing his stuff on the ground, Sasuke pulled off his shirt. He was boiling…

He flopped onto his back as he landed on his bed. He scowled at the ceiling.

When had he turned into such a flipping asshole? He didn't even remember being this violent. He rolled onto his stomach near the end table. With a grimace, he grabbed the picture frame sitting there, inspecting the picture for signs of damage. The family photo hadn't been nearly as spectacular as his mother had said it would be, and Sasuke's annoyed face stood out amongst his mother's smile. Itachi had smiled too. Yet his father had not smiled that day. It was a strangely fond memory.

He put it back gently, before letting his head fall on his pillow. His hands were clenching and unclenching. Out of frustration, he groaned into the sheets.

**OOOO**

Itachi arrived home late. It was nearly two in the morning. Stepping into the dark house, Itachi made his way toward the kitchen. Sasuke's food was still in the fridge. Where was he?

Peeking into his younger brother's room, Itachi saw his brother's limp form on the bed, his stomach going up and down. His arm was placed over his eyes, and the light of the moon from the window illuminated the younger boy's already pale skin.

Itachi frowned slightly at the image. "That idiot…" he muttered, before shutting the door quietly.

**OOOO**

Sasuke's morning was hell. As soon as he had walked into his first period class, Naruto and Kiba had assaulted him with their fists. Of course, he had dodged them all, but it was the fact that he wasn't prepared for this FIRST THING IN THE MORNING!

"Hey, hey," yelled the teacher, "What's going on?"

"This guy deserves a beating, sir!" Naruto yelled, whilst being held back by Ino. Sasuke glared at all three of them.

"Well, if you're going to fight, do so after school. I will not have violence in my classroom."

Even throughout the class, both idiots were glaring at him. Even the annoying Yamanaka girl wouldn't smile at him like she always did. She couldn't have told all of them in one night! Surely she wasn't one to go crying around like that.

But it was during the lunch break that he realized the severity of the situation.

She wasn't here today.

It was odd, not seeing her at their table with Shikamaru. The Nara boy was alone there, calm and composed, though for how long Sasuke was unsure. Scooting a chair back, Sasuke sat down across from him, and waited for them to get started. Maybe even a hello.

"Huh. She's not here…" It was a terrible conversation starter, but it was still an attempt.

"Of course she's not," was the stoic answer. Shikamaru didn't even look up at him. A scowl was beginning to form on the Uchiha's face.

"What's your deal?"

Shikamaru looked at him. There wasn't a drip of emotion anywhere; his face was hard like stone.

"Of course she's not here," he repeated dryly, "Did you really think she'd come today?"

"Um… yeah."

The boys stared at each other.

"I'd like to tell you something very important, Uchiha," Shikamaru said after a minute or two, "And I want you to listen." Sasuke's eyebrow almost twitched; they were to a last name basis…

"Go for it, Nara," What was this guy's deal?

"Fine then," Shikamaru began, "Whether you realize it or not, you have made a grave error. You might have an inkling of what the error might be, but I'm going to make sure you know what you did: you destroyed her." A cold chill ran up Sasuke's spine. Destroyed her? Hinata? Was he kidding? A bruise is not destroyed!

"If you're talking about Hyuuga, she totally deserved-"

"You are an arrogant asshole, Uchiha," Shikamaru said darkly. There was a coldness that radiated from the boy across from him. This guy was serious. Sasuke almost felt intimidated. Almost.

"What tipped you off, Nara? You're so fucking smart, huh?" the Uchiha retorted. Sasuke stood up, maybe to seem like he was better. Shikamaru just looked at him.

"You have no idea how frail that girl's confidence is, Uchiha. It's thinner than tissue paper. One prod and there's a giant hole there that needs filling…"

"Stop talking as if you know how other people feel. God, all of you are the same."

"…You thought you weren't doing any damage, but you did a one-hit kill. When she walked out of the building yesterday, the bruise wasn't the only thing hurting…"

"Shut up, Nara."

"…When she got home she practically bolted into the house. Neji was probably there already…"

With a swift shift of the leg and a thrust, Sasuke had hold of Shikamaru's collar.

"I told you to shut up!"

Shikamaru didn't move. He didn't need to. He just stared at the assailant with his droopy eyes as hard as rock.

"Why are you so angry? You said you did nothing wrong?" Sasuke stared at him like he was a ghost. He dropped his hands, and watched the other boy readjust his shirt.

'…What…?'

"Our presentation is Monday. I'm sure Hinata will have the typed report for us." Sasuke's eyes followed Shikamaru to the doorway.

"She'll have it," the genius repeated, "Because she'd hate to let either of us down." Then he was gone.

Sasuke felt like he'd just been slapped.

**OOOO**

It had been a rough night. Even when Shikamaru had dropped her off and offered to come in with her, she refused, saying she'd be fine. Neither Hanabi nor her father was home yet, but Neji had been waiting in the living room with his arms crossed.

"What the hell happened?"

She winced at the tone he used; demanding and dangerous. With a sigh, she joined him, walking awkwardly to the loveseat across from him. There was a long pause, in which Hinata was painfully aware of her cousin's overbearing presence.

"I asked you a question," he said sternly. She gulped.

"I-I was running up the s-stairs, when I f-fell…"

"That's a lie. Tell me the truth." Sometimes Hinata thought Neji was worse than her father.

"Was it Sasuke Uchiha?" She didn't want to answer. She didn't want to put the blame on him. He was a confused, unhappy guy; it was plain as day. It just took a little more effort to see that…

"It was Sasuke. I know because Shikamaru sent me the story via text message." Sometimes she envied the Nara boy's power to think ahead. Sometimes.

"I I-instigated it, N-Neji, it's no b-b-big deal…"

"It's a big deal when you're hurt, Hinata. Do you know what your father will say?" Neji paused as Hinata sulked. "Your father will yell at _me, _because I failed to prevent this. Then he will yell at _you_ because _you_ failed to prevent it as well! Then he will drive over to the Uchiha residence and yell at _them_ because _THEY_ failed to prevent this!" He was yelling now, and Hinata winced at every word. She knew he was right.

"Now," Neji whispered, "I could _not_ tell him." Hinata looked up hopefully. "But I don't think you should see Uchiha anytime soon. Got me?"

She nodded. "B-But we have a p-project-"

"I'll forge your absence slip,"

…

"W-What?"

"Skip school tomorrow. Relax. You're as stressed as a caged bird." With that, he stood. "I'm going home. Where some pants or something so your father doesn't find out." The heiress watched him leave, silently thanking him for his generosity.

But the next morning was just as bad; Hanabi was not letting her get some sleep.

"SIS!" cried the younger girl, jumping up and down at the foot of Hinata's bed, "You're going to be late for school!"

Hinata refused to stir, hoping her sister would give up and leave her be.

No, that's not how it went.

"HINATA!" cried Hanabi with a little more volume, "I'll go get dad!"

The heiress' body sprang up as if it had just been electrocuted. Swinging her legs off the side of the bed, she sprinted to the bathroom to brush her teeth, ignoring the faint, "That's more like it!"

She got dressed. If she was going to fool her father and sister, then she'd have to leave the school campus as soon as she was dropped off.

**OOOO**

The music store wasn't far from Konoha High, but her leg was still bruised pretty badly. It was warm, and her pants were uncomfortable, but she would rather sweat bullets than wear that bruise around. At least she wasn't limping…

The sound of vulgar rap music ripped open her ears as she walked into the CD store. Skipping the "popular" section, she went straight for the Techno section, hoping to find something that would cheer her up.

"Well, well," came a voice from behind her. She spun around, bringing her arm around ready to slap whoever it was (just like Neji taught her), but she was caught by a pale hand on her wrist.

"T-Tayuya?"

"Of course! Who the hell did you think it was? The tooth fairy coming for your baby teeth?" The girl was dressed in all black. The most colorful thing about her was her bright red hair.

"I-I'm sorry. You startled me." was all Hinata could think of to say. Releasing her grip on the younger girl, Tayuya scratch through her bright mane. "You better have a good reason for ditching. I bet your daddy wouldn't take to it kindly. Is it because of emo boy?"

Hinata nodded, slowly. She was unsure if she could trust this upperclassman or not.

"That little, whiny son of a bitch only knows how to throw tantrums," muttered the older girl with a twitch of her eyebrow, "Every time I see him I want to slap him."

"T-That would be m-mean…"

"It's not like he's not mean either!" Tayuya barked back, "Fuck, he's an asshole when he's grumpy. He's a cocky asshole when he's happy! There's no reasoning when it comes to him!" Taking out a cigarette, Tayuya lighted it and took a long drag, perhaps to calm her.

"T-Tayuya?"

"What?!"

"… I-I think he just needs to know that he still has plenty of years left." Tayuya froze, her mouth halfway open and ready to exhale. "I-I think," Hinata said quietly, "that he m-might just need some sense of s-security that he knows he can d-depend on. I… I might have m-m-misunderstood him. I… don't think he has many f-friends." Tayuya lowered her cigarette. She looked at the smaller girl in front of her.

"Are you made of some sort of fucking poetry or something, Hyuuga? Cause you're spouting some real deep shit." Hinata backed down a bit. She wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment.

"I'm actually surprised though," Tayuya muttered, taking another drag, "You've got him down pretty well." Hinata looked up in surprise. "B-But you said…"

"It's how he deals with his self-loathing," the older girl explained, "He knows he's an asshole. He's known it since seventh grade, when the big car accident happened."

"I-It was a c-car accident?"

"Yeah. Five limos were involved. Some fancy-ass banquet for business owners or something at Town Hall. It was all over the news too, but not for long, because that Orochimaru guy broke out of jail soon after that."

"A-Ah…" That would explain how no one knew about it. Hinata couldn't help feeling even more sorry for him than she already was.

"Hyuuga," Hinata snapped back at attention, her eyes locking with Tayuya's brown ones.

"I've known that bastard since elementary school. Though he may seem popular, you are right: he has no one he can truly call a friend. I heard he was friends with Naruto Uzumaki at one point, but that was merely a rumor." Hinata wondered if that had anything to do with Naruto's sour attitude toward the Uchiha.

"Also," Tayuya continued, "His brother is a dickhead, but he's been taking care of Sasuke all by himself. He's got a job as a coffeehouse barista and everything. Works at a warehouse at night I heard. Hyuuga, if you want to help that damn boy, that show him what's he's doing wrong by example. Men are visually-dependant creatures. If you give him a taste of what he needs, he'll be stubborn about it, but he'll get the picture."

Hinata looked into the older girl's eyes, wondering if this was some sort of game, or if she was being sincere.

But before she could finish the diagnosis, the older girl had already made her way towards the door.

"T-Tayuya!" The girl stopped and turned.

"Hmm?"

Hinata ran up to her and bowed low. She had learned from her father at an early age that one must always bow to teachers and elders.

"What the fuck are you doing?" yelled Tayuya loudly, making the shop manager glare at her, "Get your fucking head up you stupid bitch! I'm not some fucking saint!"

"I-I'm sorry," Hinata said meekly, "I j-just wanted to show my a-appreciation."

"Well show it some other way! Buy me a damn soda Monday morning or something! Christ…" The older girl turned on her heel and left, leaving Hinata smiling behind her.

**OOOO**

As soon as Sasuke walked into the gym for Advanced Athletics, he was punched in the face.

"That's for my cousin, you son of a bitch!" rang Neji's voice as he cradled his face on the gym floor. With a swift kick, he knocked Neji to the ground, making him land on his butt with a THUD.

"What's going on?" asked Mr. Gai, the gym teacher. Genma soon followed.

"Hyuuga assaulted me!" Sasuke yelled in fury.

"This bastard assaulted my cousin!" Neji countered.

Both boys leapt at each other, but the teachers caught them from behind, grabbing whatever they could keep hold of.

"Call the principal!" Gai shouted to Rock Lee, "Get Tsunade down here ASAP!"

"Ai, ai!" shouted Rock Lee enthusiastically, before sprinting off.

**OOOO**

The woman in question was unhappy to see them of course. She sat hunched at her desk, glowering at both of them.

"You assaulted Hinata Hyuuga?" she questioned again.

Sasuke retorted, "It's a matter of opinion." Tsunade's eyebrow twitched in frustration.

"Did you apply bodily harm in any way, shape or form, Sasuke Uchiha?"

"He did!" Neji said angrily, "He left a huge-ass bruise on her thigh!"

"Calm down, Neji," Tsunade shot back. She hated aggressive kids like these.

"Hyuuga, wait outside." Neji smirked as he got up from his chair. Sasuke was about to stand as well.

"You are staying, Uchiha." the principal ordered. With a scowl, Sasuke slammed himself back into his chair.

When they were the only two left, Tsunade crossed her arms and leaned back in her swivel chair.

"We're going to have a talk,"


	6. He's digging himself a deeper hole

**Goodness, it took forever to get up the dtermination to write this... Good thing some sort of spark o' imagination pulled me out of my lack of... trying, i guess. I dunno. Whatevs. I'm tired. And video games have me pretty distracted. Such as FFXII and Persona 3, which are both good long games that will occupy my summer much better than most activities I have lined up.**

**Chapter 6**

The silence was tense as Sasuke waited for the principal to speak. He didn't really care for the old woman; she was always budding into the Uchihas' business without invitation. He knew his brother wasn't especially on friendly terms with her either.

"Uchiha," Tsunade finally spoke, "I wanted to inform you of the conversation your brother and I had a few evenings ago." Sasuke raised an eyebrow in a less than enthusiastic manner. It was odd that they would converse.

"Oh?" he asked pompously, "What did you two talk about?"

"School Tuition,"

Sasuke was now only a tad bit more interested. He put on a frown. "What about it?"

"Well," Tsunade began, choosing her words carefully, for she knew he was a reckless lad, "To be honest, tuition is becoming expensive. And I'm afraid your brother is not earning enough to really support either of you when it comes to your tuition."

"And what did you suggest then?"

"Your brother suggested he drop out and not graduate," Sasuke stood abruptly, his fists forming large knots. His stomach was doing the same. "And you agreed?!"

"On the contrary," the principal said as she motioned him to sit down again, "I gave him free tuition for the rest of the year, since he is a senior. He just has to pass, and I doubt that would be a problem." Sasuke was still perturbed. So his brother was getting the golden privilege of being granted free tuition while he would forever be in Itachi's debt. This was why he despised his brother: he was a cunning, brilliant, slime bag.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" he said after a minute, making sure to sound annoyed. Her frown deepened at his obvious attitude problem.

"Actually, I would like to ask about something that was recently brought to my attention,"

Sasuke crossed his arms. He was sure Neji Hyuuga was smirking at him from behind the door. He knew what this must be about…

"Kakashi told me that you showed a blatant amount of stupidity yesterday after detention, landing you even more hours to work off." She almost smiled in amused as Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"He said that, huh?"

"Yes," Tsunade said, "I was told you _assaulted_ Hinata Hyuuga, who had in fact come to apologize."

"A push is not an assault-"

"Do you realize her status!?" bellowed the principal as she brought her fist down upon her desk, "Her father is one of the richest men in this area, around as high as your father was! If her father had found out, the school would have been sued! I don't need that sort of publicity, nor do I need Hiashi Hyuuga breathing down my neck with his icy stare."

"That's your problem, not mine."

"Oh, it's your problem, all right. After suing me, he would have had you and your brother investigated or even worse, _arrested_! And then your cover would have been blown. What then, Uchiha?"

Sasuke would have to admit he didn't want the secret of his parents' deaths to be leaked out. But of course, he didn't assault her. He shoved her lightly. It was completely different…

"Well if he's so high and mighty, why doesn't he do that then? He's had plenty of time. I'm guessing he's all talk and all he did was-"

"I was informed she has not shown him,"

The young Uchiha stopped speaking.

"…What?"

"She hasn't told her father," Tsunade repeated, "The only people who know are the ones who happened to find out. She never told anyone, except apparently Shikamaru Nara."

She didn't tell. She didn't tell. She didn't tell. Why didn't she tell? She had every right to do so. So why didn't she? What held her back?

"What do you know of Hyuuga Hinata?"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, plastering on his coldest expression.

"I know she's an heir. I know she apparently has a 'strict daddy' and that he expects so much from her blah blah blah. I know she has a cousin and a sister. I know she's friends with some of the stupidest people in the world. I know she thinks she's some magical empathy or whatever and tries to solves people's problems without asking because she's and arrogant little coward. I know…" He mentally kicked himself when he realized he was doing it again. He was being an ass. To her. Why was it always her at the end of his verbal blade?

"That's a pretty lackluster description, Uchiha," Tsunade said darkly, "Perhaps you need to reaffirm what you think of her." With a sigh, Tsunade stood. "I would advise not going near her, though if she approaches you, I would hope you won't repeat mistakes.

Sasuke stood too, grabbing his back and swinging it over his back forcefully. "I don't make the same mistake twice, ma'am," He didn't bother hiding the sarcasm in his voice as he left, slamming the door behind him. Tsunade stared at where he'd just stood, before shaking her head.

"He's so stubborn…"

**OOOO**

Sasuke did not stop when he passed by Hyuuga Neji's seat, nor did he acknowledge him. Sasuke did not need to inform him the meeting was adjourned, nor did he feel the need to inform him of the conversation they had. The conflict was over and done with, and that was that.

"Uchiha,"

But Neji was a whole different story.

"God dammit, must everyone bother me today?" Sasuke muttered, before turning to face the eldest Hyuuga child. Neji's face was stern, but his posture was perfect. He was not trembling, and he was not letting emotions get the better of him. How Sasuke wished he knew how to do that…

"I don't know what she said, and I really don't care," Neji said. His voice was monotone and cold. "What the hell's your problem? You assault my cousin, verbally harass and mock her, even though you know damn well she'll take it silently. She's not some sponge that will soak up your problems for you because she doesn't mind. She's not an outlet for anger either. And outlet for anything. She's a human being, and you better respect that." The older boy turned on his heel, making his way toward the other end of the hall. Sasuke watched him pass a corner, before he himself started following back to class, though School was about to end, so he might as well head toward detention.

But he had to stop. He had to stop and think. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, and sat down on the bottom step.

She had been acting as his outlet. He had already known that. She willingly just let him release all the pent up emotion and she absorbed it all, though for whatever reason he would never know. Maybe he was abusing the privilege, using it too often or something. Maybe he should just lay low for a while. Skip class (cause God knew he didn't care), set some trashcans on fire, or better yet, he could just stay home. Itachi would understand. Maybe.

But that was running, and he didn't want to run. What did he want? Revenge was no longer an excuse, for that was a one-time incident, and he had performed the revenge on the wrong person to begin with. Holding his forehead with his palm, Sasuke wondered why he was even bothering to think on it. Perhaps he was a hopeless case, just as his father had told him all those years. No, mom always denied it, saying he never meant those things he said. Was it an inferiority complex? Perhaps it was total and complete misunderstand. No, definitely not that. All the damage was intentional…

Maybe his brother was right; what if he needed a councilor? For anger issues, or maybe he wasn't quite done mourning his parents. Maybe he felt he needed to overcompensate for a lack of something in his life?

Looking at his watch, he realized he still had seven minutes before the bell rang. Getting up, and brushing off his pants, Sasuke made his way up the stairs to Kakashi's class.

**OOOO**

Home was always where Hinata was most comfortable. When she had arrived home ten minutes after her conversation with Tayuya, she was glad to see no one was home. Her father had been rather disgruntled with the fact she had been skipping out on meetings for her supposed "Flower Club", which she would never admit to him was a direct lie to his face. It was believable enough though, and it was exactly the kind of excuse her father _might_ let slip by.

Walking into the empty kitchen, she made a bee-line for the freezer, where she would continue applying ice to her bruise until her father arrived home, which would already be late in the evening. Applying the icepack to her leg, she made her way upstairs to finish typing the paper for the Egypt project they would present Monday. Shikamaru had offered to do it, but Hinata had insisted that she make her only required contribution. She couldn't have him and Sasuke doing all the work; she'd feel terrible…

Sasuke Uchiha…

Tapping her pencil eraser on her desk in the lamplight, Hinata could feel it coming; her sympathy and soft heart had always led to tiny meltdowns that would only ever last 30 minutes, but it always helped to have a good cry. She wanted to be able to chuck away her conscience and blame the boy for her anxiety and inability to concentrate, but in her heart she knew she couldn't blame him.

Tayuya had revealed his parents' death. Perhaps the secret was not very much a secret after all. There could be other people like the redhead that had seen the news. In fact, she was pretty sure there was plenty of students that knew what had happened to them. Itachi must have had friends he confided with. She remembered seeing him in the halls with this gang of boys, calling themselves an "organization to take over the school", but their dream never really came true. That was in her freshman year, three semesters and a summer vacation back. Their leader had graduated apparently, because there was no more talk of their group, and most of them were seen together in smaller groups.

But who did Sasuke have to confide in? From what she had recently discovered, he didn't seem to have very many friends at all. She now realized she must have deeply hurt his feelings when she'd called him "popular and unable to understand her plight", for she knew now that he might know that plight better than she did. Did Naruto know? They'd once been friends (according to Tayuya); maybe he'd mentioned it in a moment of weakness… No, Naruto always had Sasuke on edge. It was probably no different back then. Did any of her friends know, the same way Tayuya did? No, they couldn't, because if they did, Kiba wouldn't be so harsh when it came to him, and Ino wouldn't be so forward. Maybe Chouji knew. Or Shikamaru. They never really judged him, though Shikamaru did call him 'ruthless' earlier that week…

"Hinata!"

She jumped in the darkness, but relaxed when she realized it was only Neji, not her father or sister. She waited patiently for him to come upstairs, for she knew he would know that's where she would be.

"I-Is school over then, Neji?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he said with a glower, and Hinata furrowed her eyebrows in worry. "D…Did something h-happen?"

Neji shook his head as he sat on her bed. "Nah, it's nothing," He watched her type on her computer, correcting grammar mistakes in Shikamaru's paper, and then typing them up into the program on the screen. She was calm, and he could see it in her lack of a hunch in her shoulders and how a small smile had formed where a timid frown had once lived for so long. What was he to do?

"What makes you so strong?" She almost dropped her pencil at her cousin's sudden words. She turned to him, a confused look smearing the calm look she had had a moment before.

"W-What?"

"What makes you continue to help him? I know you're not unconsciously doing it; I know you are letting yourself be used the way you are. I want to know why. And why him of all people?"

"N-Neji, I-it's not like I p-picked him. I-If you r-remember correctly, it's y-your fault I was c-confronted in the first p-place."

"True. But why did you delve deeper?"

"I…" she hesitated, "I knew I was overlooking something. I j-just needed to discover w-what it was."

"Have you?"

"I-I think so…"

Neji nodded, accepting her answer. He stood, ruffling her hair lightly as he passed her chair, before heading toward the front door. No need to stay longer than necessary…

**OOOO**

Sasuke only arrived at detention three minutes before the bell, but that did not stop him from walking right in. He was going to be in detention anyway. He swung open the door right in the middle of Kakashi's lecture, and the room became silent as he strode to an empty desk in the back, making sure to take his time. He was glad he picked a back corner desk, because those were farthest from the door.

"Sasuke, I do believe I have class,"

But he did not hear him. He merely continued toward the desk. As he neared the back, he became agitated by the fact that girls were making doe eyes at him as he walked by. He didn't understand their infatuation with him. Didn't even have a family to introduce them to. He especially ignored the bright pink haircut that blinded his peripheral vision at the other end of the classroom.

It was only at the second to back row that he noticed this one girl look at him oddly. And as chance should have it, the seat he aimed for was the one directly behind her. She was actually kinda plain like Hinata, with her brown hair in buns and average tan skin.

As soon as he sat down (for he did it as slowly as possible), the bell rang and a riot erupted in the classroom. Fridays were most likely always like this, but Sasuke did not care. He watched the girl in front of him, but she refused to move. He raised an eyebrow, and was about to question her when Sakura stepped before him, earning herself a glare from both himself and the girl in front of him.

"Hey, Sasuke," Sakura said with a flirtatious smile, completely ignoring the other ear in their conversation, "That was pretty cool, just walking into Kakashi's class like that. He's late all the time, but you sure cut it close. He was probably jealous or something, the old pervert." She sat down on his desk so she could look down at him at close range. "How about you walk me home? I bet we could stop by somewhere, like a café maybe? Maybe you could come to my house and meet my parents, and we could arrange for me to meet yours-"

"Go away," was all he would say to her. He didn't want her to talk about parents of any sort.

"Sakura," Kakashi droned, "Sasuke has detention. You obviously do not."

"Kakashi you're a flaming homo pedophile that deserves to be sent to jail because you're ugly and creepy cause you don't show your face," said Sakura without batting a lash, "I insulted a teacher! Oh no! I guess you'll have to put me in detention!"

"But Sakon and Ukon are going to be here any minute…" Kakashi muttered. Sakura sat up straight, before grabbing her purse and leaving abruptly. The teacher chuckled darkly, before turning to the two remaining teenagers in his class.

"I'd make it quick, Tenten. I wasn't lying."

Sasuke waited for her to say something. She just kept looking forward, until after a minute or so, she finally turned around and looked him in the eyes. Though Sasuke didn't show it, he was surprised to find this girl had a very intimidating glare. She looked fiercely into his eyes, before standing from her seat.

"I will say this," she spoke after a pause, "You managed to create a lot of unnecessary complications when the deed was done."

"Huh?" Sasuke looked at her with a doubtful stare.

"Your handprint on the flesh a newly sheered lamb will not amend the torrid of your home. Only the mirror can reflect the awaiting sunlight toward your dim future."

"What?"

Tenten released her glare, and was able to show him a look of sympathy a moment before she stalked out of the classroom. He got up, unsure whether to follow her or not. He changed to his usual seat, before gathering the nerves needed to contemplate what the hell she just said. He made the mistake of looking up at Kakashi, who was staring at him.

"Please tell me you understood that," Kakashi muttered. Sasuke glared at the teacher. "I understood it was complete and utter nonsense…" But of course he knew. His handprint… Well, the newly sheered lamb must have been Hinata, who had revealed her past to him the day before yesterday. Torrid in home could literally mean a "fire in the house" or it could mean "trouble in the heart". She was saying what he did would not help him. She apparently thought he was headed toward disaster of some sort, therefore the dim future. Mirror most likely meant to "see myself for what I've become" or something similar to that, though "reflect the awaiting sunlight" was more difficult to transcribe.

"Hinata is a cheerful girl," Kakashi suddenly said, snapping Sasuke out of his reverie, "She's like the sunshine of the class, always smiling and sun, though you can't tell if its forced or not anymore…"

Scowling, Sasuke guessed that the "awaiting sunlight" was Hinata (thanks to Kakashi's insightful guess at where Sasuke was having issues deciphering). Which meant she thought Hinata might be what's needed to light up the road ahead, but she wouldn't be able to do that until he saw what she saw. Something along those lines…

It was at that moment that the door opened with a small creak, and in came the twins. Sasuke placed his head on the desk, hoping they wouldn't talk to him.

"Hello Saaaaasuke!" they said in unison. Sasuke grunted, torn between letting them leave and killing them.

"Where's your girl?" Sakon asked as he placed chin on his brother's head (Ukon squatting to be eye level with a bent over Sasuke).

"We want to see her," said Ukon with a yawn.

"Because she's cute," finished Sakon with a smile. Sasuke still would not budge. He wouldn't dare give them the satisfaction…

"Get to your seats you two," Kakashi drawled, pointing lamely at their assigned desks. The twins shrugged at each other, before making their way toward their seats. In the mean time, Kankouro had walked in, and seemed to be stuck in front of the Uchiha's desk. Sasuke glared at the upperclassman, he didn't put too much effort into it (Kankouro is a few inches taller than Sasuke). 'Good God, must _everyone_ patronize me…?' Sasuke thought glumly.

"What do _you_ want?"

Kankouro looked at him with a disinterested glance before saying, "Man, you cause a lot of trouble for me yesterday. If you can't maintain the situation, don't make a mess of it…" Sasuke blinked at him incredulously. Was _anybody_ going to just outright state what he or she thought of him, instead of using these awkward sentences?

"Huh," said Kakashi after Kankouro had found his seat, "It's unlike Tayuya to be late…"

Sasuke laid down his head, hoping sleep would distract his from the woes of the day, but not long after he had closed his eyes, the door had been swung open violently, and Tayuya walked in, out of uniform and unhappy.

"You're late-"

"Shut up, sir!" she yelled back, though it would have been more effective is she had used a formal title. She practically stormed to her desk, where she placed herself with a grumble. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He was used to seeing her angry, because that's how she naturally was. He'd known her for a long time, but he never really _knew_ her, and vice-versa. And it was fine that way.

The thirty minutes flew by (thanks to the process of napping), and when Kakashi announced they were done for the day, Sasuke was all too eager to book it. He stood, but Tayuya brought her fists down hard onto his desk with a BANG. He stared at her, and realized he'd never seen a woman this angry before.

"You are a WHORE!" she yelled at him, causing the twins to giggle like morons. With a huff, she left abruptly, leaving him in a state of mild shock. Sasuke glanced at his teacher, who stared back at him with an equally surprised face. He didn't dare look back at the twins, and Kankouro most likely didn't care. Like a zombie, he stood slowly, and left.

What had just happened? Tayuya was angry with him? Why? She didn't even _know_ Hinata Hyuuga! They wouldn't have communicated at all! So why was she, like everyone else, getting so upset? Why was everyone getting on his case? EVERYONE!

Everyone except Hinata herself…

Sasuke scowled. 'And _she_ said she was _unpopular_… liar.'


	7. There's wisdom in ceiling tiles

**Oh man was this chapter hard to start. Took seven different ideas till I finally found one I could run with easily. After this chpater, there's only one left. Exciting, eh?**

**WARNING: There's most likely OOCness going on thanks to a lot of angst and character development. If it gets to weepy for you, I sincerely apologize in advance. There's going to be some serious fluff-angst-crying-yelling-self realization-emoness going on, so don't say I didn't warn you.**

**NOTE: Flames will be responded to in the appropriate manner (depending on whether you have a leg to stand on...)**

His walk home was perhaps something close to mental torture. It seemed that for every step he took, someone would turn to glare at him, as if he was nothing but a speck of something gross on the road; insignificant yet completely undesirable. He felt his head ache as he entered him and his brother's neighborhood. Though he could not see it, he felt like the residents had decided to all peak their heads out and stare him down. He was suddenly the sole target on a shooting range.

When he got inside, it was obvious Itachi was not home yet. All the lights were off, and the kitchen had not been touched. He decided to wash away his woes, yet as he stepped through the shower curtain, the faucet refused to give him warm water. He barely remembered Itachi mentioning the horrendous bill, and Sasuke groaned as he leaned his forehead against the tile wall in defeat.

"Dammit…"

**OOOO**

Itachi's car was beginning to spit, and it worried him. But he was almost home, so he figured he could get home and wait until morning to bring it in for a check up. Itachi wheeled in the old red Ford into the garage, before heading inside quietly. He carefully shut it behind him, before stealthily making his way toward his bedroom. On his way, he peaked in on his brother. It was already passed midnight, and he knew Sasuke would already be asleep.

Yet, he didn't quite expect his brother to be asleep at his desk, pencil still in hand. Sasuke's head lay on his math paper, and it seemed he had fallen asleep before he could finish the slightly more complicated Geometry proof. With a smirk Itachi lifted his brother's hand and was pleased to see a little sketch of a longhaired female stick figure. Sasuke couldn't draw worth squat, but it was still obvious whom he had decided to draw.

**OOOO**

Hinata was always up early on Saturdays. It was a habit she had picked up from her mother before she died, and she had never really let it die out. Her mother would garden in the mornings, but since they no longer had a decent garden plot, Hinata spent her Saturday mornings either reading or cooking breakfast. This morning she had decided to make her family some egg biscuits, hoping to cheer them from their usual groggy state (it was solely morning grogginess).

The door jingled with the sound of keys, and Hinata was mildly surprised to find Neji walking into their kitchen. He was still in his pajama bottoms and T-shirt.

"Neji?"

"Itachi Uchiha's car set itself on fire," came her cousin's quick statement, "Word has it that it has something to do with the Cruise Control."

"W-Was anyone hurt?"

"Thankfully they got out in time," Neji said as he sat down at the deserted dining table, "But it's unclear how damaged their place is. I heard they'd be staying at Kakashi's since he supposedly knew their parents. Speaking of which, did you know they're orphans? I never had a clue…" Hinata thought a minute, not really hearing that last bit.

"How…how did you find out?"

"I received a call from Shikamaru, who lives in their area."

Hinata heard the ping of the toaster, and hastily applied butter to the now golden brown biscuits, abandoning the idea of adding eggs. She slapped them onto a plate, chucking said china on the table, before making her way to the door. All the while, Neji proceeded to watch her go.

"I heard they're at the car shop this morning," he mentioned as she was pulling on her sandals, "I think that's a block from the school…"

He didn't even need to wish her good luck as she slammed the door in her leave. He merely glanced at the toasted biscuits, before pushing the plate aside.

**OOOO**

Sasuke's head was pounding. The whole excitement of the early morning had developed a rather large migraine near his temples, and no amount of coffee and iced water could fix it. He wore a tattered sweater he had thrown on in the rush of the news of their home on fire, and he was still in his boxers. Itachi had rushed him out even before he could grab their family photo from his beside table, or even his school bag. The sweater had just been taken out of the need to take _something_. It had been by the door, and he'd felt compelled to bring something along besides his boxers.

Right now he waited impatiently in the waiting room, whilst his brother was talking to the car dealers, trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. They were in some room down the dark hall with a flickering light, and Sasuke had refused to go down there, picturing something springing from the shadows ready to mug him.

But he was more anxious about how much the firemen would be able to save. Hopefully they could salvage the apartment, because he didn't want to spend any unnecessary time at the house of one of his teachers. It was awkward, and would call for unnecessary tension. Also, he hoped his room would be saved. His homework was in there. As was his school bag and all of his clothes. And the picture of his parents. His mom. His dad. He felt like he was losing them all over again, though this time it was less severe. With a small sigh, Sasuke proceeded to hold his head in his hands.

How much more would he lose over the course of the week? They'd already lost hot water. He's lost some large chunks of dignity. They were losing their money. He'd even lost one of his best pens earlier that week, before all his trouble started.

His thoughts lingered to Hinata, and how he wondered how she might handle his situation. She'd probably smile and hope for the best. He knew deep down she was far from the arrogant, selfish person he had initially thought, and wanting to think her. No, she was benevolent, no matter what he did to her. She seemed to be one of the few people in his life that might actually listen to him. Or so he thought. She was still an entirely new animal that he had yet to examine fully. He doubted he'd have a chance in the coming future. Perhaps Monday morning he could apologize, before their Egypt presentation.

He shifted in his position, and was not surprised to find Itachi strolling out from the dark hallway with the flickering light.

"It was Cruise Control," Itachi said as he neared his brother, "Apparently they're going to have a recall of all Ford cars soon. We're supposedly not the only people this has happened to."

"Yay," Sasuke muttered, sarcasm evident in his voice. They sat in tense silence for a moment, before Itachi chuckled.

"We have the worst of luck, don't we Sasuke?"

"Whatever made you say that?" Sasuke retorted bitterly, "The fact that we have no parents, no money, no car, or no house?"

"Is there option 'e' for 'all the above?'"

"Sure. Just more trouble for us…"

The silence engulfed them once more, and Sasuke felt bitter and cold despite the rising temperatures outside. In his peripheral vision, he could see it was starting to rain. It was coming down in pelts, and Sasuke thought it might symbolize the sorrow that had overcome their family over the recent years. He had never imagined himself this miserable, and was quite surprised at how his life had ended up.

A knock on the waiting room door startled both brothers into looking at the door to the lobby. The receptionist blew out a ring of smoke before rasping out there was an inquiry for them.

"Bring them in then," Itachi said.

Sasuke looked back at the floor, guessing it was Kakashi, or even the principal coming to see if they were all right. But he did not hear the clank of Tsunade's heels, no the thud of Kakashi's boots. He heard a squishy wet padding as small feet entered the room.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise," Itachi said gaily, "I had a feeling you'd come."

There wasn't a verbal answer, but he guessed the visitor had nodded, because the squishing came closer, until they were right behind him.

There was silence, before Itachi stood abruptly. Sasuke hoped he wouldn't be leaving their guest with him, because if it was who he thought it was, he might be able to hind his shame…

"I need to go phone… a lot of people. I'll be in the lobby if you need me."

Sasuke was unsure who he had been talking to directly, or if he had been addressing them both. They heard the door close, and silence was once again pressed upon the almost vacant waiting room. Sasuke refused to look at her, for her knew it most likely was, and waited for her to say something, but it seemed she was having trouble finding the words.

"Why did you come? This doesn't concern you…" was all Sasuke could start out with. He felt dumb and stupid for picking something so lame to start a conversation, but it was all he could really come up with. He wasn't a very original person. Yet there still wasn't an answer. Shoulder's shaking in frustration, he turned toward her violently, ready to yell at her, but stopped.

Hinata's long hair was dripping on the tile floor, creating barely audible plops on the hard surface. Her sandals were filled with water, thus the squishy sound, and her clothes clung to her like a second skin. Her pale face was damp, and it seemed she had been running, for she was slightly out of breath.

"What, did you drop everything you were doing as soon as you heard?"

"Y-Yes."

Sasuke didn't really know what to say to that. What _could _he say to that? He sighed heavily, before scooting over on the couch he was currently placed. She made her way around, placing herself lightly to his right.

"Why did you come?" he repeated quietly. He didn't bother looking at her, instead focusing on the pattern on the ceiling tiles. He couldn't remember being so fascinated on the structure of a building before. And when had it gotten so warm outside. It was raining, wasn't it? She was obvious proof of that.

"I was worried you might feel a bit lost," she whispered gently. Sasuke glanced at her briefly to see her expression, and was surprised to see her also staring intently at the tile ceiling. The patterns were a somewhat messy mixture of black and white, not following the standard checkerboard pattern. If he looked at he whole picture, he could see it was a giant swirl, like a black and white lollipop.

"I thought…" Hinata said quietly, "I thought you might have needed someone to… talk to." He was beginning to count the tiles now. It was only a matter of time before she reached him. She didn't know if he was listening. Even _he_ didn't know if he was listening.

"Y-You're always so distracted," she whispered, "So I thought I might let you vent. I thought maybe you'd need someone to-"

"I'm sorry."

She snapped her head in his direction out of surprise, and stared at him with a new light. Sasuke turned away from her, for his peripheral vision would betray him if he did not. His face contorted until he finally looked the way he felt, his eyebrows furrowing and his bottom lip struggling to keep still. He felt it; something was trying to break free. He took another glance at the tiled ceiling, and the images of the black being filled with the white almost seemed to express how he felt. He could feel his darker emotions begin to loosen their grip…

"Sasuke, what-"

"I'm sorry for making you… take whatever damage I dealt you," he said carefully, "I'm sorry for hurting you the other day, and I'm sorry for judging you and calling you something you weren't. I'm sorry for mocking you and hurting your feelings. I'm sorry for making you cry. I'm sorry." He was beginning to wonder why he had finally said it. Perhaps he was just tired of the strain it was having on his life. Maybe he just wanted this drama over and done with.

"I…I never held those things against you, Sasuke. I have already forgiven you…"

Sasuke smiled, still not daring to show her his face. His hunched back rose up and shuttered as he released a breath. Indeed, what he wanted all along was most likely to "be forgiven".

**OOOO**

Itachi smiled the door connecting the lobby to the waiting room. He was proud of his brother, and had had a hunch that young Hinata would not be able to resist paying them a visit in their moment of weakness. She had actually come quicker than he expected. He finished texting his message, and sat down on a couch in the lobby. He couldn't wait to tell Sasuke the house had sustained minimal damage.

**OOOO**

Hinata wiped a stray droplet of water from her brow, keeping it from relocating itself in her eye. She felt Sasuke's breathing become rather forced, and was unsure if she really was helping or not. She had hoped her presence might alleviate her own anxiety when it came to Sasuke Uchiha, but it only seemed to increase the tense atmosphere between them. Unsteadily, she placed a small hand on his shoulder, but jolted her hand back when he jumped violently. He took a gander at her, letting himself peek through his bangs at her dripping form. But when she made eye contact, he turned to fully face her. They stared at each other for a long time; their heads swiveled in the others' direction.

Hinata had to soon divert her eyes away from his intense gaze, and with a tremble, began to get up. He looked up at her questioningly.

"P-Perhaps I'm of no help after all…" she muttered sadly. She made a move to leave, but her wrist was quickly snatched by his tight grip, and she looked back at him in surprise.

"You…" he began, eyes wide and seemingly desperate. His teeth were clenched tight together. It was too late to take back that look, and he realized to late he had shown his true colors. He let go of her hand, only to hold his own head. She slowly sat back down, cautiously placing both hands on his shoulders. He did not jerk back, nor did he jump from shock, but he just sat there, shaking his head.

"How could you do it?" he suddenly asked, and for a moment Hinata was completely confused as to what he was talking about, "How could you let yourself take it all? How could you let yourself be used? Why did you let yourself take my verbal abuse?"

She stared at him, beginning to shake. She had been asking herself the very same question recently, and every time prior to now, she had been unable to provide an answer. She wasn't even sure if she knew the answer at that moment, but she would not let her indecisiveness keep her from answering.

"You… really seemed to need it," she said after a minute, "You needed an outlet. And so… I gave you one."

Sasuke quavered for a moment, and soon he found himself yelling in frustration. He wasn't even forming coherent words; all he seemed to be doing was screaming. At first Hinata had been alarmed at this sudden outburst, but she figured it might be exactly what he needed, so she said nothing.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?" he bellowed in a voice that was beginning to crack, "WHY CAN'T I EVEN APPRECIATE THIS ONE PERSON? WHY MUST I RUIN EVERYTHING! I'M FALLING BEHIND IN EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF MY STUPID MISTAKES! WHY CAN'T I DO THINGS RIGHT!? I'VE FAILED! I've failed…"

He continued for well over five minutes, and soon Hinata was being to panic. She let instinct take over, and with a gentle smile, she gave him a brisk hug, wrapping her arms around his neck, her face buried in his collarbone. It was an unexpected move that had ceased all yelling on Sasuke's part. He was frozen, his face resting lightly on her shoulder. He took in a long breath to calm himself, and he exhaled, letting his full weight rest on her. She of course did not mind, and continued to hold still. She felt warmth seemingly spread from her heart, and for once she felt somewhat useful, like her purpose was absolutely necessary. They sat there for what seemed to Hinata like an extraordinarily long time. It didn't even take long to notice the silent tears freeing themselves from his eyes. Hinata wondered how long ago it was that he let himself shed tears.

"Everything will be okay," she whispered tenderly, hoping to ease him back to a calmer state. It broke her heart, knowing how much he'd been through, and how much time he must've have wasted on trying to make himself something he didn't want to be. She felt as if her soul might bleed from the agony he had self-inflicted. She took gentle hold of his face, rubbing her thumb over his dampened cheeks, removing any stray tears. His face was scrunched up, trying very hard not to show any weakness or vulnerability. She knew this because she herself had made this face when facing her father's loud scolding. She had made this face plenty of times when she had been bullied when she was younger, though it still seemed so recent; it felt fresh in her mind. It was a mask, but it was also a sign of restraint that she had used to keep herself from straying to far into the depths of sorrow.

And now as she saw Sasuke Uchiha make this face, she could tell he would not try and stop any attempts she would try. He would let her try and help him, despite any pride or arrogance he had held in his heart. He would allow her the task of fixing him, though whether there was something to fix or not was still under debate. He was giving her full access to his inner turmoil. She would not waste it.

She watched as more salty droplets left his eyes, and it was here she saw just how real a person he was. He was not the idolized boy most girls her age thought him to be. He wasn't even half of that. He was a real young man, with real problems that would not go away with time. He needed this. He needed someone to depend on. She had once dreamed of helping someone. Anyone. She had first wished long ago that if she could change someone's life for the better, she would live forever without regret. It was odd to think of things like that now, though in a way it was understandable; perhaps now was the time, with Sasuke Uchiha. She would help him to be a happier person, and heal him from the inside. She did not want to start problems; she wanted to solve them.

He was muttering apologizes so softly she could barely hear them. She was almost unsure whether or not she was hearing them at all. She leaned forward, letting their foreheads touch. She would comfort him. She had already decided before she had come here that if he let her, she would comfort him. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted him to smile. A smirk would suffice. She wanted something genuinely positive from him. She wanted him content with his life; something she knew would take time, but would perhaps be more possible than earlier planned.

She only mildly noticed when the door opened from behind the two, and she was only slightly aware of Itachi walking into the room. In the back of her mind, she knew that when she let go of Sasuke, she would wish she had done more. But not being able to think of anything more she could do for him, she cupped his face as she moved away from him, and he didn't seem to notice. He was breathing deeply, eyes half closed and his shoulders showing signs of restraint. He was calming down. He had vented. She had _let_ him vent.

"Hey, Sasuke," Itachi said cheerily, acting as if he had not seen anything at all of their somewhat embrace. Sasuke looked up, a stern look emitting from his red, puffy eyes and rigid scowl. "What?"

"You'll be happy to hear that the apartment was no harmed too badly. It's still livable. We just got to air it out for a week so the smoke and carbon dioxide can get out. You know, the entirety of the icky black gunk that results from these accidents." Hinata almost giggled at Itachi's overly joyous attitude in contrast with his brother's sour outer appearance. She shared a glance with him, but he was already looking at her with his intense gaze, and she quickly backed down from the challenge. She had gained confidence, but it would take a while to adjust to the force that came from his glances.

**OOOO**

Neji could have broken out in song when he received Itachi Uchiha's text message. He waited patiently for Hinata's return, turning on the television, suddenly in the mood for cheesy cartoons. It was only ten minutes before she arrived back, and he refrained from saying anything until she joined him in watching the TV.

"So where'd you go?" he asked casually. She shrugged, a ghost of a smile still on her face.

"The lion's den," she answered, a small blush popping up on her cheeks. She was glowing somehow, and Neji was happy it turned out better than he predicted. It didn't really matter what she had answered, as long as she came back with a lighter heart.

**Well that was a butt load. One more chapter guys! We can so totally do this!**


	8. Whatever, it's still awkward

**The beginning of the end...**

"You're going to be late, Hinata," Neji was saying as he watched her scramble for her things Monday morning. It was unlike her to not be prepared; usually she had her bag ready the night before, so this exact predicament wouldn't happen. He could see the small bead of sweat rolling down her brow already as he watched from his place in her doorway.

Despite the situation, she seemed rather cheery that morning, so he wasn't about to interrupt her routine, lest he disturb this strange peace.

"I think that's all the printed papers," muttered Hinata quietly to herself, readjusting her headband. She stood, glancing herself in her full view mirror. Her bruise was only minor now. It was almost barely noticeable. She smiled at her reflection before turning to face her cousin. "Let's go, Neji,"

He smiled at her, turning to leave. She followed eagerly. He didn't dare mention she hadn't stuttered once. This was most definitely an improvement.

**OOOO**

Shikamaru smiled when he saw the look on Hinata's face when she walked into the classroom. She was holding a stack of papers in her hand. He guessed it was the finished report they would turn in. Because she wasn't there Friday, she probably had no idea the presentation was actually just handing in the papers, but he trusted that she did a good job. All three of them would need to be present when giving it, and Sasuke was still not here.

"There's no need to hurry, Hinata," he said with a drawl to his voice, "We're not presenting."

"W-We aren't?"

"It was changed Friday due to student complaints."

She seemed to exhale in relief, before chuckling softly. "That's a relief…" Shikamaru was about to comment on her speech pattern, for it was a giant leap forward for her, when the door slid open and Uchiha Sasuke walked in. So instead, the boy genius grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him. "Look who finally showed up,"

"Nara," Sasuke said curtly.

"Uchiha," was the dry reply.

Hinata giggled quietly at how little their relationship had changed, but she stopped dead when he peered at her silently. She looked down in embarrassment. After all that had happened, she wasn't sure how they were supposed to act around each other. It was awkward of course, but she had no idea what she was supposed to say or do. Should she bring it up? No, that would make for a tense conversation. Were they supposed to stop talking to each other after this project? What was going to happen to their small, meager relationship? She almost didn't want to think about it.

"Let's sit down," Hayate called from the front of the class, "Your groups are going to come up and hand in the reports. After that, we will begin today's lesson. First group!"

It was as close to nerve-racking as she had ever felt. What if she made a mistake when typing it? What is she was forced to retype everything to make up for the terrible grade? What if they all got terrible marks? Would they be upset with her? Not Shikamaru, probably, but Sasuke might. What is all the help became undone? What if her father found out and would force her to drop her friends? What if-

A hand was placed gently on her shoulder. She looked to see Shikamaru, standing with the report. "It's time to go up,"

"W-What if I messed up?"

He paused, before sighing. "Don't worry. You didn't mess up. Let's go…" She glanced at Sasuke, who had also stood, before going down as well. Even from behind him, Hinata could tell he was just as nervous as she was. Yet, he hadn't spoken to her all morning. Was he mad at her?

Hayate shuffled through the papers, nodding every once in a while, before placing them on the stack.

"…That's it?" Sasuke spoke, though sounding incredulous. Hinata had jumped at the sudden sound of his voice.

"Yep," Hayate said, "Now go sit down."

Class had blown by after that, and Hinata could not help but feel relieved, as well as a little sad. Truthfully, she was going to miss spending their lunch hour together in the library, no matter what happened there. She had gotten closer to Shikamaru, and had realized the true person behind Sasuke's mask. But even now, the confidence that had emerged from that feat was seeping away, and she knew unless she used it, she would just lose it again.

RING! RING! RING! RING!

The Hyuuga heiress blinked in surprise, and found herself alone in a classroom with her teacher. Hayate stared at her for a moment, dark circles under his eyes clashing painfully with his pale skin. "Things on your mind?" She nodded slowly, before reaching for her book bag. Getting up, she noticed a paper on her desk that hadn't been there before. It looked to be one of those mini paper footballs; only the words READ were scribbled in messy script. She didn't recognize it as Shikamaru's, or as any handwriting she'd seen from her friends. Stuffing it into her bag with her class work, she bowed at her teacher before heading towards lunch.

**OOOO**

"So I heard he liked the report," said Ino with a smile as Hinata sat down with her packed lunch, "Congratulations!"

"I-It wasn't that big of a deal," Hinata said timidly, puncturing the top of her juice box.

"Nonsense," Shikamaru said, waving his hand at her, "You have wonderful grammar. Hayate loved your report."

"Take the compliment, Hinata," Tenten whispered, "We rarely hear him say things like that…"

"I heard that, woman," he said darkly, though with little effort. Ino coughed lightly.

"Anyhow," she said excitedly, "I bet the second biggest contribution came from Sasuke, not this lazy sack of meat,"

"I-I think we all did an equal share…"

"Yah, but Sasuke's a genius!"

"I'M a genius, Ino. Sasuke is clever."

Hinata and Tenten smiled sheepishly as the two continued to bicker.

"HEY!" Hinata turned her head towards her right to see Sakura charging toward them. Hinata swallowed her sandwich bite, eyes growing wide as she realized that Sakura did not have on her lipstick coated smirk, but a twisted scowl.

"Tenten," Sakura bellowed, "I have a bone to pick with you!"

"Oh, what is it, Sakura? We're trying to eat…" Tenten muttered darkly. The pink haired girl did not react to the obvious hostility, but instead pointed directly at the brunette. "I know you're some psycho star athlete, but that doesn't mean you can have any guy you want! I want to know what you said to Sasuke Friday after school!" Hinata froze at the Uchiha's name, before glancing at Tenten, who was in turn glancing at her. Hinata did not realize this, but everyone else at the table was also staring at her.

"I merely said what everyone else said," the brunette said slowly. Sakura looked a bit taken aback by this. "What do you mean 'everyone'…? Weren't you confessing to him or something?"

"As if," Ino said, "If you knew anything Forehead Girl, you'd know she's going out with another star athlete: Rock Lee,"

"Sasuke is the only Star Athlete I know, Pig Girl," Sakura retorted, before turning back to Tenten, "Then what did you say?"

The group stayed silent, sharing glances with each other.

"… What did you say, guys?" it was spoken so quietly that it was almost inaudible. But Shikamaru jerked his head up at her words, and the girls looked worried. They hadn't mentioned they had confronted the Uchiha boy, and only Shikamaru knew of what had transpired Saturday morning (he was in good relations with Neji and Itachi).

"We only said that he made a mistake, and that he needs to fix it," Shikamaru said carefully. They weren't talking to Sakura anymore. They had shifted to Hinata.

"Well that's rather vague," Sakura said dryly, "I shouldn't even bother with you mindless bunch. You're useless…"

She left, leaving a tense silence.

Hinata almost wanted to cry. She knew Shikamaru had told Neji, because he was a family member. But how did the others find out. She could only imagine how Sasuke felt if he'd been told by multiple people the same thing over and over again: he made a mistake. She too knew that feeling. Her father had told her that many times in her life, and so did her grandparents and extended family. It had been a major part of how she came to be so… weak.

"Hinata…" Ino began, but Hinata shook her head, quickly wiping away her forming tears.

"I-I know you must've been up-upset, but…" She stiffened when she felt Tenten's hand on her shoulder.

"Hinata, please bear in mind we were defending you. We were unsure if he realized how much damage he did."

"But he did realize," Hinata said a bit loud, making the brunette jump in surprise, "He already knew what he did was bad!"

"If he knew then why would he do it?" Tenten questioned, scooting over to comfort the frazzled heiress, "If he knew that just makes it worse!"

"No!"

It was a genuine shout this time. Hinata looked at her best friends, wanting to explain and for them to understand. She looked at Ino, a proud supporter of Sasuke, but she held a worried expression to her face, and was obviously torn. Shikamaru just looked at her with stone grey eyes, and Tenten was obviously unreachable. She wanted to tell them how much deeper Sasuke was than just a popular boy. She wanted them to know he hurt, and he wasn't cold. Or ruthless. He was confused… But how could she tell them? How could she make them really understand how he feels; how she had felt so many times. The table was quiet, and all that could be heard was the rest of the cafeteria around them, and the sudden chimes of the bell.

They watched her in silence as she got up. They'd have to see it for themselves, she concluded. They had to give him a chance by their own means, or else they'd never realize the true Sasuke.

Or the true Hinata.

Shikamaru watched her go. And was startled when Tenten finally spoke, "She obviously needs to see the real Sasuke," Shikamaru almost snorted at the irony. They brought their trays (as well as Hinata's) to the bin, when Ino spoke up.

"When did she become so outspoken?"

Shikamaru broke out into a fit laughter, leaving the two girls to wonder what they were missing.

**OOOO**

Hinata wanted nothing more than to go home. She felt so awkward and indebted to Sasuke now, knowing her friends had caused him unnecessary trouble. Shuffling through her bag during Algebra, she happened upon the mystery note, and opened it under her desk slowly, so the paper wouldn't rip.

"Detention…?" she read aloud in a soft whisper.

**OOOO**

It felt strange waiting outside Kakashi's classroom after hours again. Neji had said he's wait for her when she told him, but she had politely declined the offer. She didn't want to be more trouble than she had been the last few days. A loud click signified the opening door, and the heiress stepped aside as the twins came out, shoulder to shoulder. They glanced at her, and to her surprise, merely smiled at her knowingly before heading down the hall. Kankouro was no different, muttering a quiet, "I hope you feel better," before going his own way.

Tayuya came out with a large frown, as if she had had a rough day. She turned to face the heiress, before saying, "I want that coffee tomorrow. I'll be waiting under the clock tower," Hinata nodded with a small smile. Giving her thumbs up, Tayuya sauntered off, heavy boots resounded against the windows.

Glancing in, Hinata met eyes with Kakashi, who glanced at the figure near the front. Sasuke was facing the windows at the moment, but as soon as Kakashi had moved, he had turned to see her.

Hinata stepped in, and her eyes locked with Sasuke's dark iris', making her blush slightly. Calming herself, she took the seat next to his. They sat in silence for a while. Hinata felt rather tense because of Kakashi's presence, and because she had been in this scenario before. Would anything really change? Would something different happen? Did she have to instigate it?

"I'm sorry," she said.

Sasuke jerked his head towards her. "For what?" he demanded, voice at a higher pitch than normal.

"F-For my friends. I had no idea they had talked to you about what happened. I would never ask them-"

"I know you wouldn't ask them," he interrupted, "I know you wouldn't want that. It's okay. Don't apologize for their mistakes."

"But… but maybe if I had asked them not to-"

"They would have done it anyway. It's okay…"

They averted their gaze from each other, resulting in a tense moment of silence to engulf them again. Hinata fiddled with her fingers, unsure of what to say next. Her conversation topic had been shot down rather quickly, and she didn't want to just sit there.

"I wanted to say thank you," came his quiet voice, making her turn to face him again, though this time the action was slower, "For Saturday. You… really cheered me up when I was down, so I wanted to say thanks. For that." He turned away from her, making sure she didn't see the blush creep up to cover his face. Kakashi, who was currently writing on papers on his desk, glanced up to see Sasuke's ears turn red.

"I-I," she started, "I'm glad I was able to help. I guess… I wanted to thank you too. For letting me help. It… gives me confidence, I think; helping others makes me feel… like I'm worth something." He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Everyone is worth something, I guess," he said with a shrug. Hinata stared at the back of his head. "Even Naruto?"

"No," Sasuke said forcefully as he whirled his head around to confront the question, "He has minimal uses. Like copying homework. Otherwise, he's just extra baggage."

"Why would you want to copy homework from Naruto?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow, a puzzled expression on her face. Sasuke stared at her, noting her soft face and her thick indigo hair as it curled around her neck onto her narrow shoulders. Her small hands were no longer fidgeting. He then chuckled, creating a tremor in Hinata's spine. She could feel her bones quivering.

"You wouldn't," he said with a smirk, "It just proves my point."

Hinata laughed along with him, their voices resonating in Kakashi's classroom. They stopped after a minute, and not knowing how to continue their conversation, both fell silent once more. It seemed to stretch out forever, until Kakashi abruptly stood.

"I need to work, kiddos," the masked teacher said with a slight perk to his voice, "I need you two to leave."

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" Hinata said, jumping up from her seat. Turning to the Uchiha, she wondered what she could say to end it. What could she say that would help their friendship grow. She wanted to know more about this person. Who was Sasuke Uchiha, and what did he want to be when he grew up? What did he like to eat for dinner? What was his favorite movie?

She wanted him to know she'd be there for him when he needed her. She wouldn't judge him. She wouldn't push him aside. She'd listen. She wanted him to know these important things. For she knew herself that she'd want the exact same thing from any other person. And she knew that if she could muster up this fading courage, only then would it be possible for her to say those things.

"Sasuke?"

He was already looking at her, expectant, waiting. Was that hope she could see reflected in his eyes? Could she really be a good friend to him? Could she make this bond she had formed stronger? Tougher? Everlasting?

She blushed, realizing now that what she really wanted… might be to just to be there the day he finally broke out with a real smile. Not a smirk. Not a twitch of the lip. A true, joyful smile. She wanted those dark eyes to light up. She wanted him to look at someone that way once in his life.

Maybe even her.

"Would you like to get tea?" In truth, she had actually meant to ask if he wanted to just get a drink, but somehow something specific slipped in.

"O-Or any other beverage! Food! Snack!" she added hastily at his blank expression. He stood, grabbing his bag from the floor.

"I like green tea," he said as he looked away.

She smiled, secretly happy because she too liked green tea. With a bow to Kakashi (who nodded in return) Hinata and Sasuke left his classroom. The science teacher listened as their footsteps began to fade.

"By the way, your speech is becoming more consistent," he heard Sasuke say, before the clops of their heels failed to reach his ears.

Kakashi smiled to himself. He thought he'd never see the day detention was useful for anything good…

**The end. Yes, it's finished. I most likely will NOT do a sequel, because I can't commit to a sequel, unless it turns out to be a oneshot. Thing is, this oneshot will turn out all fluffy and gross, so I still probably won't make a sequel. You can just imagine that what I started will end happily.**

**Yes, I ended this with the beginning of their relationship. If you must know the reason why, it's because I can't picture it in my mind to be anything other than uneventful. It will be fluff. "What about Sakura? With jealousy comes drama!" I'm tired of writing Sakura as the enemy, 'kay? I still don't like her, but she's not THAT bad. I mean, seriously...**

**Kiba/Naruto/Chouji have disappeared? Yes, because their roles were insignificant copies of the same archetype. Like Sasuke said, "Baggage..."**

**TRIVIA: Some plot points and conversations are based on real life. **

**The Ford catching fire? It really happened to my family (though it was in a parking lot). It was really because of the cruise control too. **

**The whole Chapter 7 "I'm a failure!" cryfest Sasuke had was based on a real event (though I was the Hinata, not the Sasuke). A friend of mine really felt that way about himself, and really started crying. It was, like, the last day of school, and he sorta bombed the ASL exam because he was too tired thanks to his meds, and he said he would just fail anyway. This situation was duplicated to fit the sotry, with a few tweaks.**

**So yeah. There you go! Sorry if it felt rushed! I don't feel like correcting spelling errors! I'm sorry!**

**:)**


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